Karma Bites
by Elfie255
Summary: A chance encounter with a mysterious woman in a bar leaves Dean with more questions than answers. Ten years later, he gets some of those answers, plus more than he and Sam ever bargained for. Is she really a damsel-in-distress? Or is she causing distress? Note: Approx. S11; Adult language and situations comparable to what's in the actual show.
1. Prologue: Payson, AZ

October, 2005

Payson, AZ

The jukebox clicked over to the next song, a Zeppelin favorite of the young man sitting at the bar, but it was completely lost on him, as were the appreciative glances he was getting from the only waitress in the dive he had settled on for a pit stop. His brow furrowed over clear green eyes as he listened to the cell phone at his ear continue to ring.

"This is John Winchester-"

Dean cursed under his breath and waited for the inevitable tone. "Dad, it's me. Again. It's been a stretch, even for you. Look, I'm worried enough now that I'm on my way to get Sammy. Unless you want me to pull the Golden Boy out of school, call me back."

Snapping the phone shut, he ran a hand through his short, dark hair and along his well-defined jaw before taking a generous swig from his recently-refreshed double whiskey, looking over his map again. _If I cut myself off after this drink and drive hard, I can be there before lunch tomorrow._ He tapped a pen against his full lips and considered his remaining drive.

The waitress walked past him on her way to one of the few occupied tables, and the whiff he caught from the burgers on her tray reminded him he had forgotten to eat since doughnuts and coffee somewhere in the middle of Texas. _On the other hand, Sammy's not going anywhere, and what's one more day after four years…_

He thought about it as he folded up the map. Taking another healthy sip from his drink, an annoying little voice in Dean's mind piped up for the hundredth time that day: _Right, staying for the gourmet cuisine and atmosphere. Not avoiding dealing with your brother at all, are you?_ Dean told the voice to stop being a whiny bitch, drained the last of his whiskey, and was about to get the waitress's attention when someone hopped into the seat to his left. A quick glance sent all thoughts of food right out of his head and had Dean going back for a second, longer look.

The lighting in the bar wasn't great, but she had somehow managed to sit exactly where it highlighted her features to their fullest. It brought out the red in her strawberry blonde locks, cut shorter than Dean usually preferred, but in the choppy style he associated with rock music and tramp stamps (always good things in his mind). He watched with interest as she pursed full rosy lips, whistled at the bartender, smiled, and leaned forward slightly to reel him in. One glance at the creamy cleavage framed by the multitude of undone buttons at the top of her shirt and the bartender nearly tripped over himself to serve her. Dean didn't blame him one bit.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked her chest.

The woman looked over at Dean, considering him and his empty glass with a quick thoroughness that left him feeling as though those deep blue eyes now knew everything about him, down to the hole in his sock. She smiled in a way that sent shivers down his spine, then turned back to the bartender.

"I'll have what he's having. Oh, and bring him another one. In fact, leave the bottle."

Dean gave her an inquisitive look. "What?" she asked, "I feel like getting hammered, and I refuse to drink by myself."

Dean considered this for a second. He wasn't generally averse to buying a beautiful woman drinks, especially one who seemed so right up his alley, and he was going through a bit of a dry spell...but he had more important things he should be worrying about at the moment. He opened his mouth to turn her down, but she cut him off with two of his favorite words in the English language: "I'm buying."

"You heard the lady."

She beamed at him, then turned her charms back to the bartender.

"Coming right up," the bartender replied.

"Thank you…" He felt a patented Dean Winchester charming smile slide across his face as he turned to completely face the generous stranger.

"Karma," she responded, and leaned towards the bar to pull a small wad of bills out of the back pocket of her delightfully short denim skirt. She peeled off a combination of fives and ones and passed them to the bartender in exchange for her glass and the mostly-full bottle of whiskey. Dean almost laughed as he poured their drinks, double for him, single for her.

"Your name's Karma and you're paying with small bills? Wild guess, here, you're a-"

"Waitress," she said firmly. The directness of Karma's gaze and the arch of one pale eyebrow dared him to finish his original thought. "And no need to be shy-feel free to pour yourself more…" She snatched the fuller glass and raised it to toast.

"Dean," he said, his smile getting wider. _This one's got balls in the best possible way_ , he added more to the remaining glass and clinked it against hers. Dean took a sip of his whiskey and bent his attention to considering his companion more deeply. The red hair, blue eyes, & buckets of attitude were already enough of a draw for him. Coupled with her great rack, short skirt, and black knee-high boots, she was damn near irresistible. Sticking around a little longer was looking very promising.

He lifted his gaze and Karma locked eyes with him, slowly bringing the glass to her lips and tossing it back smoothly, draining the whiskey in a single gulp. She licked her lips and shook herself; his mouth went dry. "Whew, I needed that," she breathed, setting her glass down and motioning him for a refill.

"Rough day?"

She barely waited for Dean to finish pouring before snatching back her drink. "You could say that. Just acquired another ex-boyfriend today."

"Cheater?"

Karma's smile was very warm. "No one's that dumb. What he is is dumb enough to try to clean out my bank accounts, but apparently smart enough to make off with my car. The money thing's annoying, but the car…" Her smile faded. "It was my dad's. A Shelby, one of the originals. He taught me how to work on cars on that baby. When he had a stroke and needed to go into a home, I would visit and take him for drives all the time. After he died, I kept it up, mostly to feel close to him."

The sadness on her face made Dean suddenly feel very strongly like he wanted to track down and work over her ex. She must have realized how vulnerable she looked, because Karma shook herself a little, downed the rest of her drink, and wiggled the empty glass at him. "I think what's really burning my ass is that I let him snow me completely into thinking he wasn't an enormous dick."

Chuckling, Dean refilled both of their glasses. "Don't beat yourself up. A lot of people think they're good judges of character."

Karma looked directly at him. "You don't get it, Dean. Reading people is my thing and I am never wrong."

 _I might regret this._ "Oh, really? What about me?" Dean asked.

Another arched eyebrow, another challenge. "You sure?"

Dean drained his drink, set the glass on the bar, shook his shoulders out, settled his forearms on his knees, and smirked. "Go ahead. Hit me with your best shot, sweetheart."

"You asked for it." Karma settled into a posture that mirrored his, and Dean made a concerted effort to maintain eye contact despite the enhanced view he was now privy to. He suddenly had the feeling that those very blue eyes were seeing through him, weighing him, and Dean was strangely very concerned that he wasn't going to measure up. _Probably going to regret this._

Taking a deep breath, Karma spoke in a very matter-of-fact tone, as though there was no doubt in her mind that she would be anything other than one-hundred percent accurate. "Your whole bad-ass vibe is completely legit. You've seen things, you've done things-you've earned it. The kicker, though, is that you can switch it off completely if you want to-blend in, pass for average. You do it convincingly, but it doesn't feel right to you."

 _Way past probably and into definitely. Awesome._

Karma continued. "You have the charisma to light up a room and make panties drop-both of which you manage as often as suits your needs-but you don't have many significant friends. There's only a few people you are really close to, and even with them, you're not comfortable sharing certain things: feelings, doubts, anything that might be seen as a chink in your armor. But you do feel things, deeply, which is more evident to people than you might think and part of why they are drawn to you." She picked up her drink and smiled. "How did I do?"

Without looking, Dean grabbed the whiskey bottle and in one move bypassed both the glass and her question. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and asked, "Anything else?" before bringing the bottle back up for another swig.

"Yeah." Karma answered, putting her whiskey down. She smiled in that shiver-inducing way again and leaned closer to him. "I know for certain you have likable abs."

Dean choked a little as he swallowed, then felt himself smirk again, confidence restored. "Really? What makes you say that?"

"Here and here," she said, touching him lightly on his collarbone and his forearm. "In my experience, good definition in a couple of key areas means good definition everywhere." Her look was still direct, and there was an edge of hunger to it now. "Am I right?"

Slowly, Dean slid off the bar stool and, holding her gaze, lifted the hem of his shirt a few inches. Blue eyes still locked on green, Karma slowly licked her lips, slid down off of her stool, and placed the fingertips of her right hand against his bare skin. His muscles jumped under her touch, and she teasingly drew her hand down his stomach, slipped her fingers behind the edge of his waistband, and pulled him against her. Although she was a head shorter than him, Dean had the feeling that he couldn't have broken free of her. Seeing the look in her eyes, he was sure he didn't really care.

"You got a place we can go?" Karma asked.

It was Dean's turn to arch an eyebrow. "You're moving fast. Rebounding a little hard?"

Her low chuckle quickened his pulse and tightened something in his groin. "Those guys at the other end of the bar? They know my ex."

Unable to keep the surprise from his face, Dean asked, "You're not even going to pretend this wouldn't be revenge sex?"

That same laugh again, and she pulled him even closer. Dean was certain she could now tell just how very into her he was. "Oh, please, Dean. You obviously don't care. In fact, I'm your Holy-freaking-Grail. No worries about spending the whole night, making awkward breakfast plans, pretending you'll call me. Just some wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am and we both go on our way. Work for you?"

It didn't take Dean long to decide. "My car's outside."

"It have a backseat?"

"Sure does."

"Perfect." That shiver-smile again, and she turned to leave without looking back, not doubting for a second that he would follow.

 _And why would she?_ Dean stuffed his map in his back pocket and headed out the door after her.

She was standing in the middle of the parking lot, considering the vehicles in her view. He took a moment to admire her from the back before coming up close behind her.

"Figure out which one's mine?" he asked, sliding an arm around her waist and nuzzling her neck. A subtle floral, woodsy smell filled his nostrils, almost as intoxicating as the whiskey.

He felt her chuckle as a slight vibration in her small frame where it was pressed against him; he liked it. "Yes, actually. Badass, not from around here, car with a backseat-it's not brain surgery. You're the classic Chevy at the back of the lot." She turned quickly around in his embrace and skimmed her hands up his chest and around his neck, that smile once again on her face. "Which kinda makes you my Holy Grail, Dean. With my dad's car and everything, I'm sure some shrink would have a field day, but old muscle cars…" She inhaled deeply and bit her lower lip. "Man, they do something to me."

Dean silently thanked his dad for leaving the Impala behind as he brought his mouth down to meet hers, and he couldn't help but groan as she opened to him. Karma tasted like the whiskey they'd shared, warm and rich. He slid both hands up the smooth skin of her back, pulling her closer as their kiss intensified.

After way too short a time for Dean's liking, Karma pulled back just far enough to break contact. When he leaned in to re-engage, she gently laid a finger on his lips. "Dean, as bad as I want you right now, I'm not much for public displays of eroticism. Car, now."

"Yes, ma'am," Dean replied as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the Chevy. When they got to the car, she leaned against it and pulled him close.

"Keys?"

He started to reach into his front jeans pocket, but she stopped him. "Allow me," she said as she reached much further into his pocket than was strictly necessary. Dean closed his eyes and enjoyed himself while Karma teasingly took her time retrieving the keys. By the time she finally pulled them out, he was practically breathless. He snatched his keys from Karma, unlocked the car, and opened the back door with lightning speed.

"In a hurry, are-" Dean cut her short with a searing kiss. He felt her smile against his mouth, and suddenly he was being pushed into the car so quickly that he nearly banged his head on the roof. He looked up and saw naked desire in Karma's eyes as she climbed on top of him and pulled the door shut behind her. Straddling his hips, she made short work of the few fastened buttons on her shirt and quickly revealed how little she was wearing underneath.

 _Sticking around tonight is the smartest thing I've done in a while._ Dean smiled and pulled Karma down for another steamy embrace.

* * *

Dean started awake as he heard banging behind him. He sat up quickly, then regretted that deeply when his head throbbed angrily. Massaging his forehead with one hand, he turned his neck slowly to see a state trooper smiling at him through his car window.

"Sir, can you pull up your pants and step out of the vehicle?" the officer asked with amusement.

Confused, Dean looked down. _What the hell..._ His shirt was hanging over the front seat, his pants were bunched at his ankles, and he had only a very vague idea how either happened. Cursing under his breath, he hauled his pants up and got out of the car, grabbing his shirt on the way. Dean faced the cop and nearly cursed again when he saw how close to laughing the guy was.

"What can I do for you, Officer?" he asked while pulling on his t-shirt.

"Name?"

"Dean Winchester."

"Got some ID, son?"

"Yeah, right here," Dean said, reaching for his back pocket to grab his wallet. Empty. "One second." He turned back to the Impala and saw it on the floor in the backseat. As he reached down, Dean caught sight of bare wrist where his watch should have been. "Son of a bitch!"

"Uh, 'scuse me?"

Dean snatched up his wallet and opened it. All the cards were still there but his cash was gone. "She cleaned me out?" he asked in an incredulous tone. Suddenly seized with panic, his hand flew to his neck, but he quickly relaxed as he felt the familiar God's-head pendant still where it belonged.

Suddenly the trooper was all business. "Can you tell me what happened last night?"

Concentration furrowed Dean's brow, but no matter how hard he tried, he was only able to remember bits and pieces. "I was at the bar, there was a chick, we had some drinks..."

"You have a name? Description?"

Between the headache and the black holes, very little of consequence was coming back to him. "Candy...Cassidy...no, Karma; didn't catch a last name. Blonde-no, redhead...short, definitely stacked...damnit!"

The trooper looked up from his notepad and asked, "You alright?"

"No...Yeah...I'll be fine. Just really not liking the holes in my head."

Putting his pad away, the cop stepped close to Dean. "Hold still, son." He checked Dean's eyes. "You and this mystery chick hit the bottle hard?"

"I've gone on benders twice as vicious and remembered everything. No clue what's going on here."

He took his notepad out again. "Sounds like you were drugged there, Dean. Happens sometimes. Pretty young thing chats up a guy, slips him something, he wakes up the next morning with Swiss-cheese-memory and a lighter wallet."

Dean was taken aback at that. "You saying I got roofied?"

The officer nodded. "Probably want to head over to the hospital, get yourself checked out."

Shaking his head, Dean moved back towards the car. "I'll be fine-brain didn't really work that well anyway. If it's all the same to you, I've got somewhere to be, Officer."

"You want to file a complaint?"

He considered for a moment, but-pissed as he was-more time with law enforcement wasn't going to improve his situation or his mood any. "Thanks, but I think I'm just going to call this a lesson learned and get the hell out of here."

"Suit yourself," the trooper replied. "Just try to get yourself into a motel or something next time, ok?"

Dean was fairly certain the cop was going to be laughing about him for a while, but thanked him anyway, got in the car with the last shreds of his pride, and headed out to hunt down breakfast before continuing on to California and Sam.


	2. Chapter 1: Trouble's Back

**NOW**

Groton, NH

"I'm telling you, you're wrong," Sam said, exiting the passenger side of the Impala and closing the door forcefully.

"Hey, hey! Watch the car!" Dean closed his door gently and patted the hood. "He didn't mean to take it out on you, Baby. He's just upset because I'm right and he's not."

Sam rolled his eyes and walked over to the trunk. "In what universe does Superman beat The Hulk? I mean, seriously-"

The boys meticulously stowed their hunting gear. "How is this even a question? Superman beats everybody, Sammy. End of story."

"This is not over, Dean," Sam replied, grabbing their fresh six-pack and waiting while Dean unlocked the door to Room 9 of the Whispering Pines Motel, their home for the evening.

Dean faced his brother. "It's over. You're wrong. Nothing else to discuss. Now, let's just celebrate another ghost busted and get some sleep before we catch another case that drags us halfway across the country," he finished as he opened the door and flipped on the lights.

"If we're celebrating, I hope you brought enough to share with the class," quipped a flirty voice from their supposedly-empty room.

The effect on the Winchesters was instantaneous: both brothers immediately reached for the knives on their belts as they scanned the room. Their eyes widened as they lit on the uninvited guest sitting on the edge of the closest bed. Shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair framed her fair face, blue eyes, and full lips. An enticing amount of lightly-freckled cleavage was revealed and highlighted by the low scoop of her very fitted emerald-green shirt and the almost purposeful draping of the tawny-colored cardigan she wore over it; her tight jeans hugged her casually crossed legs down to her knee-high brown boots.

As nice as the view was, neither Sam nor Dean relaxed an inch. They both had way too much experience with nasty things coming in nice-looking packages. Their visitor didn't seem the least bothered by this. She stood and walked towards the boys, her focus on the younger of the two. "This must be baby brother Sammy. Mmm, mmm, mmm." Her gaze was practically palpable to Sam as it moved down the length of his body and back up again. "Wouldn't mind being the meat in a Winchester sandwich." She stopped a little more than an arm's-length away and bit her lower lip.

Sam flushed, not sure if it was the expression on her face or the blatant lust in her voice that was doing interesting things to his pulse. Then she looked up into his eyes and Sam could swear she was looking into him and seeing his entire life, everything he'd ever said, done, or thought since birth. The feeling was very unsettling.

"Care to give us a good reason why we're not venting you right now?" Dean asked. A blink, and Sam felt relief as she put his brother in her sights.

"Tsk, tsk. Dean, surely you remember me? A bar outside of Flagstaff, oh, about ten years ago? We pass a very-VERY-pleasant evening, mostly in the backseat of your car, and this is how you talk to me?" was followed by a very pretty, very calculated pout.

Her tone, her mouth, Arizona...something perked up in the back of Dean's mind. He concentrated for a moment, then his jaw tightened as anger flashed in his green eyes. "Karma."

"See? I told you you'd remember me," she said warmly, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Disbelief joined anger. "Yeah, I remember. You have some balls showing up here, lady," he growled, advancing on Karma. She backed away from him until the wall stopped her. Dean raised his knife and placed the tip against her throat; the amused look still didn't leave her face. "You drugged me, robbed me, and left me naked in my car for a cop to find the next morning. You might want to be grateful you're not a stain on the rug right now."

Karma never flinched; in fact, her smile deepened. "If you'll allow me a little room here…" She rotated her hips away from the wall, pressing her body against Dean's; a muscle twitched in his clenched jaw, the only outward sign her increased proximity was affecting him.

"Sammy?"

That one word speaking volumes, Sam stepped closer to the pair to back his brother up. Karma considered him briefly, then turned back to face Dean. Her eyes never left his as she reached behind her, pulled a thick envelope out of her right back pocket, and held it up high enough for Dean to see. Sam took it and opened it.

"It's cash, Dean." Sam flipped through the envelope. "A lot of cash."

"It's what I took, plus extra to compensate for the watch-sorry, but it didn't hold up well-and any unforeseen expenses my hasty retreat may have incurred."

Dean lowered the knife and stepped back. He took the envelope from Sam, and his eyes widened as he saw the generous contents. One look back at Karma, though, and Dean was angry all over again. "You really think throwing money at me makes us square?"

Karma shook her head. "I know it doesn't-that's why it's only half of my apology. The other half is infinitely more valuable to you, I think." She reached behind her again, this time on her left side, and retrieved a smaller object from her pocket, holding it out for the boys to see. Sam and Dean recognized it almost immediately.

"My charm?" Dean asked. There was no mistaking the golden carving that swung back and forth as she held the black leather thong it hung on-it had been his constant companion for a very long time. "I left this in a motel trashcan years ago. How in the hell did you end up with it?" He reached out for it, but she snatched it back.

"No, no, no-you don't want to do that just yet." She closed her free hand around the pendant itself. "The one you tossed was a copy I conjured up that night from my earrings. I needed yours for the spell, and I got the impression that night that you'd track me all over creation if it disappeared."

Both Winchesters went back on high alert. "Conjured? Spell?" Sam asked.

Rolling her eyes, Karma said, "Down, boys. It's holding Dean's missing memory from that night."

"My memory? What the-"

She sighed. "Look, this will all go a lot easier when you have the memory back. The catch is, it's not exactly the gentlest process. You're going to want to sit down." Karma looked down at her hand, then at Dean. "In fact, knowing exactly what you're about to get back...you're probably going to want a little privacy, too. It's a hell of a ride."

Dean didn't trust the flirty smile or the laugh he heard in her voice, but he didn't see another option. That lost time had come back to grate on him more than once since it all went down. "Alright. I'll go sit in the bathroom. Sam, you stay here, and if anything goes wrong, gank her."

Sam nodded, and Karma rolled her eyes again. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," she said dryly and held out the necklace. "Hold onto the string until you're settled. Once the pendant itself touches your skin, there's nothing you can do but try to hold on tight until the memory's finished transferring."

Dean took a deep breath and grabbed the string. Nothing happened. He walked into the bathroom and shut the door on Sam and Karma.

Sam stared at the door. "How will we know when he-"

"SON OF A-" There was a thud. Sam started toward the bathroom, but Karma's hand on his arm stayed him.

"I told him to wait. Dumbass. He'll be fine. Best use of your time right now is getting the missing pieces so you're caught up, too."

Sam was nearly hypnotized by the sway of her hips as she walked over to the small kitchenette table near the window. Shaking his head a little to clear it, he went to grab the almost-forgotten six-pack. As he bent over, he heard a low whistle from the table. He quickly turned to see Karma seated, legs crossed, her bottom lip caught between her teeth again. Blushing, Sam hurriedly sat across from her, setting the beer between them. He cracked a bottle and had his first swig down in record time.

"If I didn't know better, Sammy," she said, the look on her face pure mischief as she leaned forward and took a beer for herself, "I'd say you had a little thing for me."

In lieu of a reply, Sam took another generous pull from his bottle, gathered his wits as best he could, and got serious. "You promised an explanation?"

A long, low moan straight out of an adult video escaped under the bathroom door. Sam and Karma both turned to look.

"Things are moving along quickly." Taking a long drink of her own beer, Karma set the bottle down. "I did. About 10 years ago, I was looking for a little action, and I found your brother at some dive. He was ridiculously easy pickings. One thing led to another-"

Another moan from the bathroom.

"I think I've got the idea. How about we skip to the part where you decided to give him the 'Eternal Sunshine' treatment?"

This time, it was more of a shout than a moan.

Karma laughed, a low sound that went straight to all the wrong places for him to concentrate. "You sure? As you can hear, Sammy, it's pretty juicy stuff."

 _Focus, Sam, focus._ "Yeah, I'm sure."

She shrugged. "Your loss. Anyway-"

The bathroom door banged open. Dean stumbled out, his clothes sweaty and disheveled. Sam immediately sprang out of his seat and supported his brother. "Dean! Are you-?"

Dean didn't even notice Sam's considerable presence at his side. His eyes were locked on Karma, and it was not a friendly look. "You tell him yet?"

She recrossed her legs, sat back, and casually took another drink from her bottle, as though he wasn't trying to kill her from across the room. "We were just getting to that part, actually."

Alarmed, Sam asked, "What part?"

"The part where I'm not human," she replied.

"That's an understatement," Dean growled.

"What are you, then?" Sam asked.

"I'm...complicated." Karma put down her beer, got up from the table, and walked closer to him. "Watch my eyes," she said. She blinked, and her eyes went completely black. Before he could respond, she blinked a second time, and her eyes were blue again, but this time, they held a sparkling, silver light. A third blink, and back to normal.

"What the hell?"

"I'm half-fae, half-demon," she explained, turning away. As she walked back to her seat, Dean tried to limp after her. However, he was still shaky enough to need Sam's support, and Sam seemed rooted to the floor in surprise.

"Is that even possible?"

"She's here, isn't she?" Dean managed a few unsteady steps before collapsing on the edge of the closest bed. His wary eyes never left her for a moment.

Karma settled herself back in her chair. "Story time, gentlemen. Once upon a time, demons and faeries freely roamed across multiple planes of existence, occasionally intersecting but generally staying out of each other's way as they wreaked havoc. However, it wasn't long before each decided the other was getting in their way of screwing around with the humans, and the tenuous balance collapsed. Some battles happened, and warriors were captured on both sides. Faeries simply killed their prisoners and sent back the heads; demons preferred to play with theirs at little first. My mother is a member of the Queen's guard; she was taken defending her uppity highness. When they were done with her, they sent her back to Fae, pregnant with demon-spawn-A.K.A. me. Due to my mother's status, I was allowed to live, and stayed in the Faerie Court until such time as the Queen decided I had run out of her goodwill. Banishment upon penalty of death followed, I ended up here, and a few centuries later…"

"Wait-you're how old?" Sam asked.

"On this plane, to be precise, I'm-what month is-oh, yeah, 728."

Sam and Dean shared a surprised look, then Sam smiled. "You have said you prefer your women experienced…"

"Ha ha, Sammy."

Turning back to Karma, Sam asked, "So, how did you end up taking his memory?"

She sighed, then answered, "Straddling both worlds has a few down sides-some aspects overflow, some are nonexistent, and some are unpredictable. When dealing with intense feelings or emotions, my eyes can change involuntarily. When we got to the...grand finale, I forgot to keep my eyes closed. He saw my eyes change and didn't exactly take it well, so I panicked, snatched the memory out of his head, stored it in the pendant, arranged things to look like a set-up, and got my perky little ass out of there."

Still confused, Sam asked, "Wait, how did you know Dean was a hunter? It's not like we advertise that stuff. Unless…" He looked at his brother.

Dean rolled his eyes at Sam. "Yeah, that works out so great as a pick-up line, Sammy." He turned to Karma. "You didn't tell him that either?"

She sighed. "I might have...neglected...to mention that I'm telepathic."

Eyes wide, Sam backed up a step. "What?!" He tried to remember every thought he'd had around her, suddenly very alarmed about what she'd "heard."

That low laugh again, then: "Relax, Sam. Nothing I haven't seen before. Although, there were a few pleasant surprises." She took another drink from her beer and set it down. "Look, guys, for the most part, I just do initial reads on people as a safety precaution."

"So when it felt like you were in my head earlier…"

"Yup. Otherwise, I really do try to respect people's privacy. The problems happen when people 'shout' their thoughts, so I can't help but hear them. But between the mind reading and my extensive time around humans, I'm very good at reading expressions and body language, so I figure quite a bit out without poking around. For instance, I don't need to be anywhere near Dean's thoughts to know that he's still seriously pondering making a beautiful corpse of me."

"What do you mean, 'shout their thoughts'?"

"Surprise or strong emotions can sometimes cause people to think 'loudly'-I really can't think of another way to describe it. Like, I can't hear what you're thinking right now, Sam, but when I walked away from you earlier, you were very loudly checking out my ass."

Sam blushed furiously. "I wasn't-" The look she gave him told him clearly that she wasn't buying it. "Anyway," he cleared his throat, "back to Dean."

Karma laughed again. "Smooth, Sammy. Of course I tried to read Dean before I settled on sleeping with him. After all, a sweet and innocent little thing like me-" Dean snorted; she ignored him, "-can't be too careful. I wasn't getting a clear read-some people are like that-but I thought I'd gotten enough, and I was feeling reckless. Everyone tends to be much easier to read during and after sex, and Dean was no exception. He was so completely open that when he saw my eyes, I got the whole story on the family business and, well, I haven't lived this long spending quality time with people who want me dead, so…" She trailed off, then continued, "I had honestly hoped to get back to him with the memory and a full explanation sooner, but something came up not long after and I needed to lay low for a while. I forgot how weird time can be when traveling between planes. It's been ten years here, but it's only been a few months for me."

Dean was feeling stronger. He tentatively stood up from the bed, and when his legs held him, he walked slowly towards Karma. "You needing to lay low? Meaning you pissed someone off. Why doesn't that surprise me?" He continued towards the table.

She smiled, pulled a beer from the six-pack, and held it out toward him. "That's actually kind of why-" As he took the beer, Dean's hand brushed hers; the effect on him was instantaneous. "Crap!" was all she managed before he was on her. Dean pinned her to her chair with his legs, dropping the bottle and freeing both hands to cup her face and hold her in place for a very thorough kiss. Soon, those hands were sliding downward, taking their time over her appealing curves.

"Uh, Dean? I'm standing right here."

He ignored Sam and moved his lips down Karma's neck as he pushed her sweater off of her shoulder. Mouth free, she yelled, "Little help here, Sam!"

Sam had been so stunned by Dean's behavior that he hadn't registered Karma frantically trying to push Dean away. He ran over and grabbed his brother from behind. "Dean, back off! Let her go."

"Get your own, Sammy-this one's mine." Dean let go of Karma long enough to shove his brother. Sam landed hard on his back, his head narrowly missing the corner of the dresser. Dean didn't even notice-he was already turning back to Karma.

"Sorry about this," Karma said as she brought her knees up to her chest and kicked out with both feet, solidly connecting with his abdomen. His breath left him in a whoosh, and he bent double, desperately gasping for air as he staggered back and collapsed on the nearest bed. Sam stood up, shaking himself off and taking stock of the damage. Karma had lost all trace of her swagger and confidence; she was trembling and had gone even paler as she stared at Dean, positioned to bolt out of her chair the moment he moved towards her again.

When Sam stepped to his brother, he purposely situated himself between them. "Dean?"

Dean held out a hand, and Sam helped him sit upright on the bed. His breathing was getting back to normal, and he made no move to rise. "What the hell just happened?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"No idea. One second, Karma was handing you a beer, next thing I know you're going all drunk-gropey-frat-boy on her and yelling at me to back off." Both Winchesters looked at Karma.

While she had regained most of her composure, Karma's eyes stayed glued on Dean and her hand shook slightly as she took a big swallow from her beer. She stared at the bottle, fidgeting with the label, then finally spoke. "I might also have forgotten to mention that my demonic Daddy Dearest was apparently an incubus."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise. "An incubus? Which makes you a-"

"Succubus, yeah."

Dean's eyes narrowed in mistrust. "A succubus? As in a demonic soul-stealing slut?"

Karma was still pointedly avoiding their gazes. "Yeah, something like that."

A thought had clearly just occurred to Sam. "You mean, you could have-"

"No," Karma said firmly, meeting the brothers' gazes with a look of defiance. "Dean's soul was never in any danger that night. Even if I hadn't needed to beat a hasty retreat, I would have made sure of it."

Both Winchesters raised an eyebrow in question. Karma clarified, "From experience, I know that the first time is absolutely safe, but the second time-my faery side interferes with some of my succubus side and vice versa, so I don't really have control over all of my powers, and it's completely involuntary on my part, but...yeah. So I have a very strict one-and-done policy to help keep everyone's souls right where they belong."

"Uh huh," Dean responded. "And we're supposed to believe this because, what? You've been so honest and forthcoming with us so far?"

Anger flashed across her fair features as she stood and advanced toward the boys. "You two listen to me very carefully. I have taken exactly four souls in my lifetime. Four, you hear me? The first two were mistakes on my part, the other two totally deserved what they got. So if I tell you that Dean's soul wasn't in danger that night-given how long I've been living with humans and have a sexual history that makes Dean look like a freaking choir boy-you'd better believe I have considerable data to back that up."

Both Sam and Dean had unconsciously leaned back while she spoke, as though trying to get as far from her wrath as possible. She ended up right in front of Sam, and even though he needed to look down from his appreciable height to see the challenge in her eyes, he was more than a little afraid for their physical well-being if either of them spoke the wrong word right now. _Please, Dean, please for once in your life don't-_

"Ok, ok. We believe you," Dean said calmly, his hands in front of him clearly indicating his acquiescence.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, we do."

She looked at them for a long moment, then nodded to herself. She moved back to the table, picked up the thankfully-intact bottle that had dropped, and tossed it expertly to Dean, who caught it and opened it carefully. Karma then sat down, straightening her clothes and gathering her confidence around herself once again as she finished her own beer.

Sam decided they didn't need a referee anymore, so he sat across from Karma and picked up his own unfinished drink. Still wary, he very carefully asked, "So, the succubus thing? Is that why Dean…"

"Went all horny caveman on me?" Dean glared at her; Karma answered back with an artfully raised eyebrow. "You have a better term for what you were doing?" Dean rolled his eyes but gestured for her to continue. "A big problem with incubi and succubae-why we are really so dangerous-isn't so much the soul-stealing business. It's that our allure can be more addictive than any drug imaginable. Just one kiss even makes people intensely crave more. Skin-to-skin contact after a sexual encounter can leave people so much in need that it ends up sometimes overruling their free-will. If it really had been 10 years since Dean slept with me, he would have felt a healthy dose of lust when our hands touched, but he would be able to manage it because the effects of our encounter would have been diluted by other partners. Since he just got the memory back…"

"...the effect on me was still immediate enough that I physically couldn't stop myself," Dean finished for her. "Some part of me knew it was wrong, but my body took charge and my brain was too overloaded to care about doing anything but, well, you."

"Exactly."

Sam looked between them with alarm, then slid his chair back from the table a few inches so as to put more distance between himself and Karma. She smiled, for the first time with genuine amusement, no calculation or game-playing evident. "Sammy, relax. You should be fine. Being around me is definitely having a noticeable effect on you-unless you're usually this overly excitable around beautiful women?" She looked to Dean, who nodded in agreement; Sam shot him a dirty look in response. She turned back to Sam and continued, "That's to be expected, and unless we act on any of those very adult thoughts you've had running across your head, you should still be in complete control of your body and good sense. That, and unless I actively influence you with my powers, which I have no intention of doing. You could do a thorough full-body cavity search on me and it would be completely your choice if you wanted to continue the women's-prison-movie stereotype afterward."

Before he could stop himself, a few explicit images flashed across Sam's mind. Judging by the laughter in her eyes, he was "shouting" again. He blushed deeply, and Karma laughed out loud. "Oh, Sammy, this is going to be too much fun if you're going to go all schoolboy on me every time things get the least bit naughty."

Sam nearly sighed with relief as Dean came to his rescue. "Before I went guano, you said something about some trouble. Since you're still here, I'm guessing you want our help?"

Karma nodded reluctantly. "Unfortunately, the situation's gotten way beyond 'want' and dangerously close to 'need' at this point. I'm having a little demon problem."

She unconsciously raised both hands and used them to tuck her hair behind each ear simultaneously, clearly uncomfortable with needing to ask for help. Both Sam and Dean realized how independent she was used to being, and therefore how much trouble this "little" problem really would be. "Go on," encouraged Dean. A quick glance at Sam, and the look that passed between them said they'd definitely hear what she had to say, and, knowing them, would probably end up agreeing to help.

Staring at a spot on the floor between the boys, Karma continued. "I picked up Dean towards the end of a kind-of bender I was on. I didn't really learn from that mistake, kept getting less cautious, and ended up accidentally sleeping with a demon."

Both Sam and Dean's eyebrows raised at this. "How the hell do you 'accidentally' sleep with a demon?" Sam asked.

Karma's raised eyebrow nearly laid him out. "I don't know, Sam. How the hell do you sleep with one on purpose?"

Dean chuckled. "Hey, Sammy, I think Karma knows about Ruby."

Her gaze swung over to him. "I also know about Rhonda, Dean."

Dean's eyes widened with surprise and mild panic, while Sam's narrowed with suspicion. "Who is-?"

That damnable laugh again. Still holding Dean's gaze, Karma said, "Another story for another time, Sam. And to answer your question, the same way I ended up accidentally sleeping with a hunter-I was being careless."

Clearing his throat, Dean tried to regain some of his composure. "Let me guess-he made you for a hybrid?"

"Exactly, Dean, and us hybrids are very, very rare. According to the rumors, there's maybe a handful, some still toughing out life as 'demon-spawn' in Fae, some on other planes. I think I've met maybe two in all my years. The guy I happened to catch hold of is a low-level Crossroads Demon. When he realized what I am, he was so excited that he just couldn't decide if he was going to try to exploit my succubus side to pad his soul-catching numbers, or hand me over to whoever's in charge of Hell to further his career. I'm not hot to be anyone's toy, so I took advantage of his distraction and split. I've been plane-hopping ever since, trying to keep him off my tail."

The brothers shared another look. They both knew Crowley would probably give a fairly significant body part to get his hands on something like Karma. "The King of Hell is after you?" Sam asked.

Karma shook her head. "No, thank Goddess. It seems my stalker is so intent on keeping all the glory for himself that he's not sharing me with anyone. To be honest, his greed and stupidity might be the only reasons I'm not begging for my life at the foot of the Demon Throne. Between him chasing me and a narrow escape from some of the Faerie Queen's guards, I decided I needed to get back here and get some help."

"Why wouldn't the Queen's guards want to protect you from a demon?" asked Sam, puzzled.

"Remember the whole 'banished from Fae' thing? Given what I am, and how much the Queen apparently still loathes me, they weren't inclined to assist."

"Exactly what did you do?" Dean asked warily.

Sighing, Karma responded, "No one had any idea-myself included-about the succubus thing when I was growing up in Fae. Unfortunately, it hit out of nowhere when I was alone with the Queen's Consort. She walked in mid-way through, got a wee-bit miffed, and went all 'Queen of Hearts' on my ass. The Consort talked her into banishment with a promise that she could 'off with my head' if I ever showed my face around her again. You'd think she would have cooled off by now, but...no dice."

Sympathy was written all over Sam's face. "This succubus thing has been a big problem for you, huh?"

Karma shrugged, noticeably uncomfortable with his concern. "It's not without its perks. I've been taken care of by some very powerful, very rich, very generous men over the years with just the promise of a night with me. The stories I could tell...well, maybe when we don't have my impending capture and possible demise hanging over my head."

Dean looked at her thoughtfully. "You want us to take care of your demon problem." Karma nodded. "Can you help us out at all? Name? Anything?"

She shook her head. "The crossroads he's supposed to be managing are somewhere in Arkansas, but he's been getting cronies to cover for him while he tracks me, so he's probably not there. And he's been very careful about making sure I don't catch his name. The only things we have going for us are that he doesn't have my name either, but he's tracking me with a lock of my hair he managed to snag. He can't summon me, and we know he's going to catch up to me eventually-according to the weather and other minor omens, he's only a couple of days behind me at most. If I stay put, I'm the perfect bait."

Eyebrows raised again on that last part, Sam asked nervously, "Stay put? As in, here?"

"Sure. You boys going to flip a coin over who gets to bunk with me?"

 _That chuckle of hers should really be outlawed_ , Sam and Dean thought almost simultaneously.

"I...um…" Sam stammered, and Dean looked almost alarmed as her smile widened.

"Relax, both of you. I'll get the room next door. Close enough to yell for help, far enough away that Sam's heart rate might actually return to normal in the near future."

"Ha, ha, very funny," Sam replied. He focused on not being concerned about how strongly she was affecting him; her voice, the looks she gave, the way she held herself…

"Look, I need a thorough shower and a couple of hours sleep before I'll be sharp enough to consider your little problem," Dean said. "Let's call it a night, shall we? Breakfast on you?"

Karma smiled. "It's a deal." She held out her hand to Sam. "Give me your phone so I can put in my number. Text me with your order when you're up." Sam stood and handed over his phone. She swiftly added her number, then stepped in close to him. "Here you go," she said, looking up into his face while she put her arm around his waist and slid his phone-and her hand-into his back pocket. Sam's mouth went dry and his breathing deepened. He stared at her mouth as he started to lean down towards her-

"Sam."

That one word from Dean was like a cold shower. Sam shook his head to clear it and saw the amusement in Karma's eyes. "What happened to not using your powers on me?"

She flat-out laughed. "There wasn't a shred of demonic influence in that at all, Sammy. You really are an easy target. This is going to be very entertaining. Sleep well, boys. Try not to dream about me too loudly." Karma blew kisses at both of them and swayed her way out the door, still laughing.

Sam blushed for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening and pushed out a frustrated breath. He knew that last bit was especially directed at him, and he also knew it was with good reason. _What the hell is wrong with me? Jesus, you'd think I was 14 again…_

Dean was suddenly right in front of him. "It safe for me to go shower now? Or are you going to bolt next door the minute you're out of my sight?"

He wanted to be frustrated, but his brother definitely had a point. "No, I'm better now that she's gone. I don't know what it is…"

Sympathy was clear in Dean's voice. "Look, man, I get it. Been there, done her, and it is definitely an experience. I'm having some trouble keeping my hands to myself over here, too."

"But that makes sense, Dean," Sam replied. "You're still under her influence, so to speak. I have no excuse."

"Other than the fact that you're incredibly awkward around girls?"

The look Sam shot back was not friendly. "Just get in the shower, man. You reek."

That made Dean laugh. "Hey, while I'm in there, why don't you go fill the ice bucket and sit it on your junk for a while? Maybe that'll help."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

"Go. I'll be fine."

He could still hear his brother laughing through the bathroom door. Sam was more than sure he deserved it, especially since he was significantly less than sure that he would actually be fine. _Let's just get this case over with so we can put a few thousand miles between us and Karma. Maybe then I'll be able to think straight again._


	3. Chapter 2: Catching Up

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty. Chuck wagon'll be here in fifteen."

Sam yawned deeply and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He ran his fingers back through his long hair; they kept getting caught on knots created by restless sleep. Admitting defeat, he got up and headed toward the bathroom.

"I'm going to grab a quick shower. Don't eat it all if she gets here before I'm done."

"Want me to send her in with yours if she does show early?" Dean asked, trying not to laugh as he laced up his boot.

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, Sam replied, "It's bad enough she's giving me a ton of crap. Could you at least cut me some slack?"

Dean appeared to consider this for a moment, then, "Maybe when you stop acting like some gawky teenage virgin every time she opens her mouth."

 _Can't get this case over with fast enough_ , Sam thought as he sighed and left his brother chuckling behind him. _Hopefully a shower will clear my head._

"Don't use up all the cold water!" Watching the door close behind his brother, Dean breathed a sigh of relief. He was feeling slightly guilty about giving Sam so much grief, but it definitely helped distract him from his own problems. He'd spent a good part of the night tossing and turning, vivid dreams about his night with Karma and fantasies about going back for more leaving him sweaty and feeling wrung out. It had taken two cold showers, some quality time with himself, and getting started on some demon-proofing before he'd started to feel more in control, but it was an alarmingly tenuous thing.

He was still trying to get his thoughts in order when the knock on the door came. Dean took a deep, steadying breath, pulled on a comfortable flannel shirt like armor, and crossed the room, staring at the door and willing himself to keep it together as he opened it.

"Morning, sunshine," Karma chirped. Another revealing shirt and close-fitting jeans greeted him. _Could be worse-could be that skirt from the-don't go there, Dean._ She held up a heavy-looking bag in one hand and three large coffees in the other. "Breakfast?"

Dean narrowed his eyes at the bag. "That doesn't smell like doughnuts."

"They're in there, but big, strong boys like you can't survive on doughnuts alone. I need you at the top of your game, so I got some real food to go along with the junk." Karma pulled out some foil-wrapped items, along with a couple of bananas and apples and a white pastry bag.

Dean ignored the fruit and grabbed one of the foil bundles, unwrapping it to reveal an overstuffed breakfast burrito. He smiled and took a large bite; his smile faded slightly as he chewed more slowly and peered inside the burrito. "There's vegetables in here?"

Karma's look was no-nonsense. "Yup, in all 3 of them, so no trying to switch. And you're going to eat every bite if you know what's good for you."

"If I know what's good for me? What are you-my mom?"

Eyebrow raised, she replied, "Unless you're going by Oedipus now, I'm going to say no."

Dean swallowed hard and took another healthy bite. "See?"

"Thank you." Karma took a bite of her own burrito. "Maybe someday you'll figure out things just go more smoothly when you listen to me the first time."

Snorting, Dean washed down the offending vegetation with a mouthful of strong coffee. He set his burrito down and looked across the table at Karma. "A question occurred to me last night."

She took a sip of her own coffee. "Ask away."

"Was anything you told me that night true?"

Karma looked mildly surprised. "Some of it was, from certain points of view, at least. The whole car thing was completely calculated-your relationship with that Chevy is definitely interesting-but there have been a few men stupid enough to cross me in the past. Trust me, they only do it once."

Taking another drink from his coffee, he asked, "How did you end up dealing with those guys?"

"Knife in the ribs does wonders for reforming jerks. One especially nasty customer, though, he got a generous helping of a very insidious poison in his morning tea. Looked pretty painful from where I was watching."

Dean looked over the top of his cup at her, gulped, and set his drink down gently, turning his attention back to his food. Karma smiled at him in amusement and continued with her own breakfast.

In the silence that followed, they heard the water shut off in the bathroom. A devious idea crossed Dean's mind, and he turned to Karma.

"Want to mess with Sammy some more?" he asked.

"Always," she said with a wicked smile, setting down her burrito and getting to her feet. "Should I knock first or just barge in?"

Dean's smile was equally puckish. "Oh, barge right in."

She chuckled as she walked towards the bathroom; Dean turned to watch. _This should be good._ Her steps were quick and her hips were swinging until she got to the middle of the open area right in front of the bathroom door. Her legs stopped dead, and she almost fell over as momentum carried her upper body forward.

"What the-"

Chuckling, Dean pointed at the ceiling above her head. She looked up and cursed creatively when she saw the Devil's Trap that was drawn there.

"Problem?" he asked sweetly, reaching for a doughnut and taking a sizeable bite, relishing the feeling of the blessed sugar and fat washing the healthy taste right out of his mouth.

Throwing a nasty look at him over her shoulder, Karma's voice was ice. "I. Am. Not. Amused." She turned back toward the door and he watched with surprise as she slowly dragged one leg forward a couple of inches, then worked on the other. It obviously took a lot of effort, but she was definitely advancing forward.

As she reached the edge and her foot passed beyond the outer circle, she broke free all at once and stumbled forward. Luck was with Dean, however, and towel-clad Sam picked that exact moment to open the bathroom door and step out. He instinctively reached out and caught Karma against him to keep her from falling. However, because she'd hit him with some force, his towel was knocked loose, and it fell to the floor between them. Dean started laughing so hard that he nearly choked on the food in his mouth.

Sam glared at his brother, torn between wanting the doughnut to finish Dean off and hoping he survived so that Sam could give him the slow, agonizing death he richly deserved. As he took stock of his situation, though, he realized he had much more important concerns...like the desirable woman that was currently pressed against his naked body. He made the mistake of looking down at her.

The laughter in her eyes was crystal clear, but so was the heat. "My hero!" she said dramatically as she slid her hand around his waist. "However shall I repay you?" That hand began moving lower, until…

"Ummm, Karma? Could you let go of my ass?" he managed shakily as he tried to control his wayward thoughts and impulses.

"Say 'please'," she teased in a throaty whisper; he winced as he felt his body betray him. "Although, seems like at least some part of you doesn't mind."

Over her head, Sam silently pleaded with his brother for help. Dean cleared his throat loudly. "Down, girl. That's enough."

"Fine," Karma said reluctantly. She took a few steps to the right to avoid walking into the Trap again, picked up Sam's towel, and offered it back to him while taking a long, appraising look. "Damn, Sammy," she purred, licking her lips.

He snatched the towel out of her hand, wrapped it around his waist, and practically ran back into the bathroom, slamming the door in his haste. "Dean, clothes, please?" came weakly through the door.

"Sure thing." Dean grabbed some clean clothes from Sam's duffle and knocked on the door, which opened just enough for him to stick an arm through. He felt Sam grab the clothes quickly and barely retrieved his hand before the door slammed again.

Karma was standing next to him, and she looked pointedly up at the ceiling. "Your idea of a joke?" she asked Dean angrily. Apparently her encounter with Sam hadn't cooled her off any towards him.

"Curiosity mostly," he responded as he went back to his breakfast. Sitting down, he watched as she considered the Trap on the ceiling, looked at the layout of the room, and climbed across the parallel beds. Seeing her among the rumpled sheets did nothing to help his focus. "I wasn't sure if it would hold you or not. Glad to see it at least slows you down."

"You could have just asked," she replied, resuming her seat at the table She picked up an apple and snapped a bite out of it in a way that made him feel like she wanted to do the same to him. "For future reference, iron and silver both work against me, holy water stings like a bitch, salt is manageable-no, I don't have to count it or sugar if it's spilled-and you can't exorcise me because I'm not technically possessed."

Starting on a second doughnut, Dean nodded. "All good to know. Now," he leaned forward, a serious look in his green eyes, and continued, "as much as I love busting my brother's stones, we have work to do, so playtime's over. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," she said, giving him a mock salute with her apple before taking another bite. "Any brilliant ideas come to you in your sleep?"

There was a knock at the door; Dean and Karma both tensed.

"Expecting anyone?" she whispered. They both slowly rose from their chairs. Dean slipped quietly over to his bed and grabbed the knife hidden under the pillow; he turned to see Karma removing a small dagger from inside the top of her boot and a fully-dressed Sam sliding out of the bathroom door towards the gun on his nightstand. He motioned for her to stay back and Sam to cover him while he moved over to the door, peering through the peephole. Relaxing visibly, Dean breathed a sigh of relief as he opened the door to admit Castiel.

"Man, it's good to see you."

The angel looked intently at Dean. "Hello, Dean. I got your message." Intense blue eyes took in the room, swept right over Sam and stopped on Karma. They widened, and suddenly he was on her. Karma screamed in surprise as Cass knocked the knife from her hand, wrapped his arm around her from behind, and held his angel blade against her throat.

Dean ran over and grabbed his arm. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Protecting you," Cass responded, doubt for Dean's intelligence clear in his voice. "Did you not realize your...booty call...is not human?"

"Booty call?" Indignance was dripping from Karma's voice as her surprise faded. "Did this featherhead just refer to me as your booty call?"

"Cass...wait, 'featherhead'? As in-"

"An angel? Yeah, Dean, I know what he is," Karma said, "besides an enormous douche."

"I don't really understand what a feminine hygiene product-"

Sam interrupted him. "Cass, you can let her go. She's fine."

Reluctantly, he let Karma go. She swiftly retrieved her weapon and moved behind Dean, shooting dirty looks at Cass from her new position of safety. "You called your pet frigging angel? Really?"

All three men looked at her.

"How do you know he's an angel?" asked Sam.

She crossed her arms and glared at Castiel. "Angels think in Enochian. I've dealt with a few of his kind over the years," she muttered. "My experiences have been less than positive. They all seem to be the smite-first-ask-questions-later type when it comes to me."

Dean smiled. "I'm sure they're not the only ones." She opened her mouth to give him an earful, but he stopped her. "Cass promises not to smite you, don't you, Cass?"

"She called me your pet, Dean."

Rolling his eyes, Dean responded, "Look, I'm not gonna lie-she's probably going to say a lot worse before this is over, but she needs our help, so I'm going to need you to back down."

He glared intently at Karma, but ultimately Cass nodded, putting away his sword. "I'll refrain from killing her unless you tell me to," he agreed, clearly uncertain.

Karma wasn't convinced. "It's getting crowded in here. I'm going back to my room."

Dean put out a hand to stop her, making sure to touch a clothed body part this time. "Not a good idea. First thing we need to do is make sure we have eyes on you so you're covered when your stalker rolls in. One of us will stay here while the other two see what info we can dig up." He turned to Sam. "After what happened last night, I think you need to be the one who covers her. I shouldn't be completely alone with Karma, not until her effects wear off, and Cass can help me cover more ground."

"What effects? What did she do to you?" Cass queried, clearly confused.

"I'm part succubus, Polly," Karma answered dryly. "If we want to keep Dean's soul where it belongs, we need to keep Dean off of me. Not too much of a problem unless he touches me, which we found out the hard way last night."

Cass's look was not kind. "You do anything to his soul-"

"That's it!" Karma pushed Dean out of the way and marched over to the angel; the look on her face was enough to have Castiel backing away from her, but the raised dagger didn't help. "Get off your damn high horse. I know for a fact you and your brethren have messed around with both of these boys' lives more than once, so don't get all high and mighty with me. Just because you're children of God does NOT make you better than me, just like being part demon doesn't make me an evil bitch bent on destruction. How about you stop making assumptions, Ass-tiel, and join in the problem solving?"

He was clearly taken aback. Slowly, the angel nodded his agreement, his demeanor less hostile and combative. This appeared to satisfy Karma; she turned away from him, sat down at the table, put her dagger back into her boot, and continued drinking her coffee.

Sam and Dean let out breaths they didn't realize they'd been holding. The Winchesters shared a significant look, then Sam spoke: "You're right, Dean. I'll stay and we'll set up more defenses here; you and Cass see if you can figure out who this demon is and how to set him up. Let me just grab some supplies from the car." He closed the door behind him.

Dean turned a serious look on Karma. "No funny business while we're gone, ok? You need Sam at his best if he's going to help you, and the way you've been getting to him…"

"Look, you don't hang around for seven hundred years without a very strong sense of self-preservation. All kidding aside, I didn't track you down just for the eye-candy; you and Sam are two of the best hunters I've ever heard of, and I'm not trying to get in your way, especially since it's my shapely rear on the line."

The look in her eyes was all the reassurance Dean needed. "Good. Bring your stuff over here and check out of your room. Until we've got this figured out, we're going to have to get cozy." Sam entered the room, his laptop bag and a heavy duffle on his shoulder. "Need Sam to give you a hand with anything?"

Karma shook her head. "Nope, I'm good," she replied, and walked past Sam, sharing nothing more than a quick, friendly smile on her way out.

Surprised, Sam turned to the other two. "She laid off that fastball down the middle you gifted her? That the same girl that's been screwing with me nearly non-stop since last night?"

"We had a little heart-to-heart. Since it's her ass, she promised to be on her best behavior until we could get this sorted out," Dean responded, and pointed to the Devil's Trap. "I tricked her into stepping under it and she got caught a little. Doesn't hold her completely, but it does slow her down." He scanned the room, then looked back to his brother. "I'd put another one by the front door to keep her stalker out, but if you guys have to roll out fast, you'll need to remember to break it so she can keep up with you."

"Sounds like a plan," Sam said.

Castiel looked from Dean to Sam and back again. "Are you sure we can trust her with your brother? What if she's faking the whole thing?"

Dean sighed. "The thought has crossed our minds, Cass. Half the reason for keeping her close and demon-proofing the room is to protect us from her if she is playing us."

A frown crossed his beautiful face. "I don't like this, Dean. She's trouble."

"You have no idea," Dean responded as Sam began unloading his bags on one of the beds. "But if we don't do this, that demon is going to hand her over to Crowley with a bow on. No matter how appealing she makes that sound sometimes, there's no way that son of a bitch is getting his hands on something as unpredictable and potentially powerful as Karma."

Sam smiled as he held up a set of etched handcuffs. "Besides, if she gives me any real problems, I've got these and I won't be shy about using them."

"Thought you said you'd be focusing on work, Sammy," Dean joked. Sam rolled his eyes and put the cuffs in his back pocket as Karma re-entered the room, carrying a surprisingly small leather backpack.

"I thought you were getting your stuff?"

Karma smiled. "I did, Sam. As you can imagine, I don't stick around places for too long, so the bag's enchanted to hold all of my stuff. It's a lot bigger on the inside." She opened it to show them.

Both Winchesters peered inside the bag, and their eyes widened. "We could use one of those," Dean said thoughtfully.

Sam's eyes brightened. "We could carry half the resources from the bunker with one of these-less time running back home for research."

"No guarantees-it's a tricky spell under the best of circumstances-but if you get me out of this," Karma replied, "I will definitely see what I can do to get you something like it." A genuine smile, completely free of flirtation and calculation, curved her lips as she saw both Sam and Dean's faces light up.

 _That's certainly a side of her we haven't seen yet,_ thought Sam as he took it in. _Maybe there's hope for her after all._

Dean's thoughts slid in a different direction as his pulse picked up. _She really looks beautiful right now. That smile is probably more dangerous than anything else she's thrown at us._ He cleared his throat and looked at Castiel. "We'd better get moving. Daylight's burning and we've got omens to track."

Cass spoke to Sam, but his eyes were on Karma: "Are you sure you're going to be alright, Sam?" Sam nodded, amused as Karma rolled her eyes and threw up her hands in frustration. The angel spared her one last, hard look, then walked out of the motel room. She crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue at his retreating back.

 _This is getting old fast,_ thought Dean _._ "Real mature, Karma. Chill out-he's here to help."

She sighed, but the arms stayed crossed and her eyes glued to the door. "I know that, which is the only reason I'm even able to be this nice. You guys have no idea what I've been through with angels."

"You'll have to fill us in when this is done. We'll all sit down over some beers and some burgers and you can tell us all about your run-ins with Cass's siblings."

Her glance finally shifted to him. "You buying, Dean?"

He smiled. "It's only fair. You bought breakfast. Ooh, speaking of which…" Dean wrapped up the rest of his burrito, popped a third doughnut between his teeth, grabbed his coffee, and followed after Cass with a quick wave to her and Sam.

Karma closed the door behind him and turned to Sam. "First things first: You need to eat. Sit down and I'll get things started." she said. "What can I do to help?"

Sam was surprised by this complete change in Karma. There was no trace of flirtatiousness or guile as she moved some things out of his way so he could set up his laptop on the table. She stood next to him expectantly, finishing her apple, waiting for orders. He wasn't naive enough to think there'd be no jokes as the day wore on, but he had hope he might actually make it out with his sanity intact. "What can you do? Can you handle holy water? Draw a Devil's Trap?"

She chewed thoughtfully. "I can't draw a whole Trap, but I can get most of it done so you'd only need to close the circle. I have gloves I can wear to make the holy water safer for me, too. Let me grab them." She tossed her apple core into the trashcan, stooped down, opened her bag and reached her arm in up to the elbow. As she pulled out leather gloves, Sam again marveled at the magic that much be involved to create such a thing.

"You really think you can make us one?" he asked tentatively.

"I'm not sure, but I will be more than happy to try. It would be worth it to see those smiles again on your faces-you two looked like little kids on Christmas morning when I offered!"

A shadow fell over Sam's face, and he looked away from Karma as he thought about all the disappointing Christmas memories he had from his and Dean's unorthodox childhoods. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to find her standing next to him, concern abundant in her expression.

"Oh, Sam, I'm sorry," she said, softly placing a sympathetic hand against his cheek. "I didn't mean to-"

He cleared his throat and gently removed her hand. "No worries. You didn't know."

"I did, actually. Well, sort of." She sat across the table from him, her expression unchanged. "I have the full Winchester biography downloaded, but I haven't had time to really go through it yet."

Confusion replaced melancholy in his warm brown eyes. "Huh?"

Her gaze became more direct, but there was still a friendly warmth to it as she gestured for him to start eating. "When I do a complete 'read' on someone-which I did with you and Dean-it's like picking out a book to take home," she explained. "I skim a few things quickly to get the gist of a person, like you'd read the back cover or do a quick flip through a book to find out something about it before you decide. You won't know everything that's in the book until you take the time to read the whole thing-"

"So you don't know everything you got from the person until you sift through it," Sam finished for her.

Karma nodded. "Pretty much. The one big difference is that sometimes someone will say or do something that calls a specific memory of theirs to my attention."

Sam smiled ruefully. "You mean, like last night when I tried to give you crap about sleeping with a demon?"

"Exactly, and the expression on your face when I mentioned Christmas...you two haven't had it easy."

"You would know," Sam joked uncomfortably. "You have the whole messy history now for your perusing enjoyment."

She leaned forward and placed her hand over his where it lay on the table. "Sam, trying to get a rise out of you by being completely inappropriate is one thing. But using what I know to be purposely cruel...that's not really my thing. Just because I've got your book on my shelf doesn't mean I'm going to read it cover-to-cover and exploit what I learn for my enjoyment. I'm a lot of questionable things, but a sadist isn't one of them."

The sincerity in her eyes and voice seemed completely genuine to Sam. He smiled at her, then said, "I appreciate that." He thought for a moment, then continued, "Does that mean you're not going to tell me the story with Dean and-?"

"Sorry, but it's his story to tell, not mine. Anyway," she said, taking her hand back to gesture at the variety of supplies he'd set out previously, "we're supposed to be working, so let's focus. What do you need me to do?"

Sam looked over their things and started giving instructions. He set her to work on cleaning weapons and putting another Devil's Trap above the door to the motel room while he began checking the local news for signs her pursuer was headed their way. He tried not to think about the disappointment he'd felt when she broke their contact. _Even if she's not listening, those are not good thoughts. There's no happy ending there._

After a little while, he asked, "Hey, has he changed hosts while he's been after you?"

"Nope," she replied, eyeing her work and adding a little more paint to the rune she'd just drawn. "Always the same-what do you guys call it?-meat-suit. Mid-forties, ruggedly handsome...kind of reminds me of that guy who plays Richard Castle on tv, except blonde and, you know, I'm pretty sure that guy's eyes don't glow red."

Laughing, Sam shook his head. "Blonde, huh? You don't have a type, then?"

"You trying to see how much of a shot you've got when this is over?"

Another laugh, then: "Just trying to make conversation."

She looked at him over her shoulder. "Uh huh. To answer your question, when I have a choice, my type is physically attractive, completely human, and preferably not an asshat. Sometimes I need a specific service, in which case I sometimes have to relax the attractive and asshat regulations."

Sam snorted. "What 'specific service' did you need from my brother, then?" The expected laugh didn't come. He glanced at Karma; her face was indecisive. She took a deep breath, blew it out, and obviously came to a decision.

"That 'bender' I was on when I met Dean? Well, a couple of months before, the Faerie Queen had put out word that those of us living outside of Fae-most of us legally banished by her beneficence-would be welcomed back with open arms and full pardons if we brought offspring with faery blood with us. She does that every so often, but between being exceedingly stubborn and historically anti-child-rearing, I adamantly refused to care all those other times. In fact, I had always purposely avoided bedding anyone who wasn't a full human so there was no chance I'd end up pregnant. Best birth control ever for those of us with demon in our blood.

"The last time, though...I don't know exactly what was different. I started looking for Fae and demi-Fae males to hook up with, hoping to get pregnant so I could go home. We don't reproduce easily, though, so I started getting desperate. I actually thought that because he was a hard read, Dean might have faery blood in his lineage somewhere. There were a few more guys after Dean-all demi-fae, all resulting in nothing-and then…"

"...the demon," Sam finished for her. Another question occurred to him. "Why didn't you want to go home sooner? Isn't your mother still there?"

She pointed at him with the paintbrush. "Definitely looming large in the 'cons' column." She laid the brush down gently on some napkins and went to close the bottle of paint. "While nearly all of the captured female warriors were sent back in the same condition as my mother, very few of the offspring ultimately survived. Most died before birth, usually because the mother took her own life 'in shame'. Many died during birth as well; more than a few either died naturally within a few days or were...helped along by outraged families. Few of the victims were as strong and stubborn as my mother. You think I'm a handful? I'm a walk in the park compared to that bitch-on-wheels."

Thinking back to his problems with his own father, he could understand some of what she felt. "You really don't know what was different this time?"

"Nope." Her tone was definitive, but Karma avoided his eyes when she said it. "I've done all I can with this Trap. Just a little bit for you to finish. What's next?"

 _Alright, you are entitled to a few secrets, I guess._ Taking her cue to change the subject, he asked, "You ready to etch some bullets?"

"Sure thing, Sammy." She put on her gloves and picked up the box of ammo where it lay on the bed. Sam pointed out a small knife, which she also grabbed before carrying everything over to the table to work. "Find anything?"

"Yeah, actually. You been around Providence recently?" When she nodded, he turned the computer around and showed her the screen. "Combination of a weird lightning storm in the suburbs north of there and a feel-good story about a local family winning the lottery right before they were set to lose their house, both yesterday. Puts him less than a day from here."

"Crap."

"No need to worry. I'll finish the Trap and call Dean and Cass while you keep working on those bullets. If he really is that close, it won't be long before we nab him, put him out of his misery, and send you on your way to screw with other men's sanity."

She rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, Sammy. Love you, too."

He laughed, then stopped and stared at the door. "You hear that?"

The tension in his body immediately put Karma on high alert. She closed her eyes and her brow furrowed in concentration. "It's not him," she whispered, "it's a human, but there is definitely demon influence at work." She concentrated a moment more. "He's headed to my room from last night."

They heard his knock through their door and the thin walls between the rooms. "Maintenance," a deep voice said. "Need to check the plumbing."

Slowly, Sam crept to the weapons on the bed and took their demon knife and a gun. He moved carefully back, then handed the pistol to Karma and gestured for her to load the clip with the bullets she'd prepared. She slowly slid each bullet into place, wrapping her hand over the top as she pressed to minimize the click each round made as it settled. They heard the man knock and call out again. Sam pressed his back against the wall by the window and peered out of the space between the curtain and the sill.

He watched as the man aimed a vicious kick at the door. The jamb splintered and the door swung crazily on bent hinges. "Where are you, you little bitch?" they heard him call through the walls. "I have a friend who's tired of chasing your ass all over the universe."

Sam watched as Karma gently inserted the magazine most of the way into the gun. There was another yell from the room next door, and she swiftly clicked it fully into place and chambered a round. He wasn't sure if he was more impressed that she'd waited for noise to cover her movements or the expert way she handled the weapon.

A low rumbling sound sent both their attention to the table, where Sam's phone was vibrating. Karma snatched it up, tapped the screen, and showed him a message from Dean: "We're outside. Cover us." He pulled the curtain back and saw his brother and Cass creeping by, angel blades drawn. Motioning for Karma to stay put, Sam crossed to the door and opened it slowly. He watched as Dean peered cautiously through the broken doorway, then pulled back quickly. They locked eyes, shared a couple of quick hand motions, and the plan was set. Dean raised three fingers, then two, then one…

He ran through the doorway and immediately moved to the right to give Sam and Castiel enough room to enter. Sam cursed when he got his first good look at what they were up against. The man in front of them was about his height, but he was obviously much more into weights than the younger Winchester. Wide shoulders, a barrel chest, and thick biceps tested the limits of the thin t-shirt the giant was wearing; dense thighs stretched the seams of his worn blue jeans. Despite the cool weather, sweat slicked his closely-shaved head. He was holding a black .44 in a hand so large it dwarfed the considerable weapon.

"Found herself some white knights, did she?" the giant said, and he smiled at them; it wasn't reassuring. "You boys have no idea what you're trying to protect. Trust me-that lying skank is not worth dying for. Just hand her over so I can take her to my master, where she belongs."

"Not gonna happen, Tiny," Dean replied, raising the blade in his hand. "So why don't you dial down the 'roid rage and crawl back to Daddy?"

The behemoth snorted and opened his mouth to respond, but stopped to turn his attention to the open door. The Winchesters and Castiel risked glances out of the corners of their eyes and saw the new focus of his attention: Karma was standing in the doorway, Sam's gun steadied with both hands as she pointed it at the middle of that massive chest. "I heard quite a bit from next door, Len," she said calmly. "Thinking some very nasty things about me, all very different from the last time we met, and completely undeserved, by the way. There's something else different about you this time around. Let me guess," she said coldly. "You've moved on to demon blood to help with the bulking up? Hate to tell you this, but it's probably too late to reverse the shrinkage."

"Bitch!" he snarled and started to raise his gun, but he'd been so focused on Karma that he'd missed Sam and Cass closing in on him. Both men slashed out viciously with their blades, each connecting deeply with one of Len's arms. He dropped the gun and swung a powerful right hook into Sam's jaw, knocking him across the room; he bounced off one of the beds, landed hard on the floor, and was still. Castiel took advantage of Len's focus on Sam to drive his sword into the giant's side, but the wound only seemed to make him angrier. An elbow to the abdomen bent the angel double, and he staggered back as he tried to recover his breath. With surprising speed, Len reached under his arms and yanked out the angel blade, ignoring the gush of blood as he slashed at the approaching Dean, opening a long wound across his chest.

A shot rang out, and blood blossomed on Len's enormous shoulder. His scream was primal as he turned toward Karma and charged his target. Before she could fire off another shot, he knocked the gun out of her hands and wrapped a meaty paw around her throat, pinning her to the wall and lifting her off the floor. Panicked, Karma clawed at him as she tried desperately to catch a breath. Smiling savagely, Len brought his face close to hers and whispered, "I have to bring you back alive, but he didn't say anything about you needing to be pretty." She saw the angel blade out of the corner of her eye before he slid the tip down the side of her face, pressing hard enough to break the skin. Karma screamed as the blessed metal burned where it sliced.

Len started to laugh, but was cut short as an angel blade burst through his eye. His grip loosened and he staggered backward, dropping Karma. She drank in huge gulps of air as she watched Dean retrieve her dropped gun and fire two quick shots into Len's head. After what seemed like an eternity, the giant finally collapsed to the floor and lay immobile in a widening pool of red.

Dean's eyes swept over the room as he moved to help Karma. She held up a hand to stop him, staring at something behind him, eyes wide. "Sam."

He immediately turned and went to his brother, who was still lying prone on the floor. "Sammy," he said, shaking him gently. Sam didn't respond. "Cass, can you help?"

The angel quickly finished wiping off his blade and moved to Sam as Dean crossed back to Karma. "You alright?" he asked, taking visual stock of the long cut on her cheek and the darkening bruises on her neck.

"No." Karma's eyes were on him now, staring in horror at the wound on his chest. "This was a huge mistake-selfish and stupid. I'm getting out of here so no one else gets hurt." She tried to leave, but Dean stepped between her and the door.

"That demon's still out there gunning for you-"

"Exactly! If the juiced-up human flunky he sent did all this damage, I'm not sticking around to see the million bloody pieces the main event is going to leave you boys in. I've already got more than enough to answer for in my past-I'm not adding you and Sam to my list."

Dean didn't move. "My brother and I have a crapload to answer for too, Karma, and we're not adding you to that dumpster full of fun either."

Her eyes glittered with a hint of her power. "You can't stop me, Dean."

He smiled. "Just needed to slow you down."

Karma felt pressure on her wrist, then heard a click. Dean saw the light in her eyes disappear as she looked to her right to see his brother, standing next to her, wearing the other half of the pair of rune-covered handcuffs he'd had in his pocket. Suddenly, all visible signs of fear and concern vanished from Karma, replaced by barely-contained rage. "Not the brother I would have pegged for 'Fifty Shades of Winchester,' Sammy," she quipped with false lightness. Her eyes locked back on Dean.

Both brothers were completely unfazed. "You're sticking with us until we end this." Sam's tone was no-nonsense. "We need to get out of here now. Dean, give me the keys so I can stow our precious cargo while you grab our gear from next door." He took the keys from his brother and tried to leave, but he was yanked back when Karma didn't budge.

"May not be able to spell my way out of this," she challenged, "but doesn't mean I have to follow you anywhere."

Sam shrugged. "Suit yourself." In one swift move, he hefted her over his shoulder and carried her out of the room as she protested loudly.

Dean chuckled as he heard some of the inventive swears she was hurling at Sam's back, then winced as the movement sent pain squealing across his chest. When he turned to Cass, he had to take a step back; the angel was too close to him, as usual. "Personal space, man."

"Sorry." Castiel moved back a step before placing two fingers on Dean's forehead, healing his wound completely in a flash. "Is this really wise? If she doesn't want to stay, she's going to be even more trouble."

As he turned to look out the door, Dean sighed. "Can't have this on my conscience, Cass. My load's heavy enough as it is." He walked out to finish their preparation for leaving, not seeing the sympathy and concern that darkened the angel's lovely face before Castiel started to clean up their mess.


	4. Chapter 3: Same Crap, Different Day

Cedar Ledge, PA

"Well, let's never do that again," Dean quipped as he opened the door to their new motel room and moved to let Sam, who was carrying a still-resisting Karma, enter first.

"Would be easier to just let me go, boys," she chirped from her place on Sam's shoulder.

Sam dropped Karma on the closest bed in an unfriendly manner befitting his unfriendly thoughts. "No, really?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from each syllable.

"Not my fault you're the first guy in history to spend eight hours in the backseat of a car with me and come out unsatisfied."

Unlocking his cuff, he held it out to Dean, not caring that he practically pulled her off the bed as he pulled her arm along with it. "You want to wear the leash for a while?"

Karma snorted. "Brilliant idea. Aren't you supposed to be the smart one, Sammy?"

Dean set down the bag of food in his hand on the small table by the door and slid their bags off his shoulder and onto the floor. "The pain in the ass is right, Sam. She could create more than enough chaos to slip out if she touches me. And she might just be mad enough right now to think taking my soul sounds like reasonable payback."

Neither Winchester thought it was possible, but her demeanor got even less friendly. "Thanks for thinking so highly of me, Dean."

Sam looked around, saw the slatted headboard behind Karma, and locked the cuff onto it. _Problem temporarily solved_ , he thought, grabbing the bag of food and passing out the burgers they'd picked up on the road. He rubbed his chafed wrist as he sat down at the table to eat. "You said you'd taken four souls. What's a fifth?" Her hand moved so fast he barely registered the pillow coming at him before it smacked into his face. "Dammit, Karma…" The look on her face stopped him dead.

Both boys stared in surprise at the tears in her eyes. "You have no idea-NO IDEA-what that was like for me. You think you've got baggage…" She shifted her gaze to the floor as she hugged her knees to her chest with her free arm. Despite their difference in sizes, this was the first time she'd actually looked small to either brother.

Dean carried his burger to the other bed and sat down, facing her. "Why don't you give us an idea, huh?"

Karma briefly met his eyes, saw sincerity and concern there, and took a deep breath. "This will probably come as a surprise, but I've been married before."

Eyebrows raised, Dean asked, "Married?"

"Twice."

A flash of comprehension softened Sam's brown eyes. "The souls you took by mistake."

She nodded, looking back at the floor. "This was all way back-more than five hundred years ago. They were both so sweet, gentle, vibrant. They adored me, and I loved them. Seamus was the first; before him, I'd been sticking to one-night stands and moving around a lot to avoid being branded a harlot. But then I met him, and something inside me wanted to stay. Given the era, rules of propriety, all that, he and I waited for marriage. Our first time was wonderful, but…" she trailed off.

Sam and Dean exchanged looks. "Go on," Sam said tentatively.

"The next time, his whole body went rigid and he started screaming. A white light flowed out of him and into me. Didn't have to be a genius to figure out what it was-the power it gave me was exhilarating. After it was done, he was an empty shell. His heart was beating, he was walking, talking, but Seamus was gone. I panicked and fled.

"Almost a century later, when I found Malcolm, I truly believed it would be different. I thought that before maybe it had been too soon since I'd left Fae, or that I just hadn't loved Seamus enough. I just knew Malcolm would be safe." She closed her eyes and continued in little more than a whisper, "I was wrong." A tear slid down her cheek.

Dean watched it fall, his feelings mixed in an uncomfortable way. The urge to hold her close and comfort her was almost too strong to resist. A side glance at his brother's face said Sam felt the same. _I really hope this is part of her hold on me_ , he thought. Before that train could run its course, though, something else caught and held his attention. "Karma, your face...why aren't you healed?"

Sam shook himself out of his thoughts and sat next to Karma. Very gently, he placed his fingers on her chin, turning her face towards the light. "He's right-your cut is barely closed-" he tilted her head up slightly "-and your neck is still really bruised."

"The bling you gifted me," she responded, her tone filled with annoyance, clearly trying to wash all memory of her weak moment from their minds. She held up her cuffed wrist; it was raw almost to the point of bleeding. "Between the anti-demon runes and the iron in the cuffs, neither side can heal beyond a slow crawl right now. Might as well be human."

Sharing a look, Sam and Dean nodded to each other. Dean moved across the room while Sam retrieved the cuff keys from his pocket and held them up for her to see. "You promise to behave yourself while these are off?"

She sighed. "Promise not to try to escape, yes, but behave myself? That's asking a little too much, don't you think?" she countered, her flirty smile back on her face.

"Just try to keep the mayhem to a minimum. " Sam unlocked her end of the cuffs and took her hand, getting a closer look at the damage. The red strips were livid across her pale wrist; he was impressed that she hadn't complained about the pain at all during their long drive.

She closed her hand over the welts and smiled at him. "Watch and learn, Sam." Her eyes starting to glisten with the sparkling silver light he'd seen before. The same light flared briefly under her hand, and when she took it away, her skin was once again smooth and white. Karma then pressed a hand over her throat, and just as quickly, the swelling and bruising were gone. When it came to the slash on her cheek, she closed her eyes in concentration and held her hand over the wound for a longer time before finally revealing mostly healed skin. A sliver of a scar was all that remained.

Karma slumped over, and Sam caught her with an arm around her back before she fell off of the bed. "Karma? You ok?" he asked, worried.

"I'll be fine. That took a lot out of me-holy weapons do a number on demons and faeries. I need to rest and get my strength back," she answered, trying to steady herself and failing.

Very gently, Sam slipped his arm under her legs and slid her further down the bed, resting her head on the pillow. "Can I get you anything?" When she didn't respond, he looked and saw that she was already asleep. As he watched her, Sam brushed some of her hair back from her forehead, then leaned over her to grab the other side of the blanket and tuck it around her. She sighed gently and snuggled into the blanket. He was staring at Karma, so mesmerized by the gentle beauty of her sleeping face, that he didn't even hear his brother come up alongside him.

"Enough with the creeper thing, Sam," Dean said quietly and handed him a bandanna. "Wrap this around her wrist and put the cuff back on. We can't leave her loose all night."

Sam did as his brother asked, wincing at the slight whimper Karma made when he put the cuff back on. "You really think we can't trust her? She's shown a lot of trust in us, coming to us even though she's what she is, sharing her story like that."

Dean's voice was pitched low in deference to their sleeping charge, but the frustration was clear. "Get your damn head in the game, Sam. If that story's true, and if she's not trying to play us, she will still try to leave. I'm not 100% convinced that she's completely innocent here, so I'd like to have her around for more than just her protection if that's the case." Sam opened his mouth to respond, but Dean cut him off. "She may not have you directly by the junk like she does me, but she's working her way to yours through your chick-flick side."

The younger Winchester looked down at his brother, anger evident in the set of his jaw. "I'm perfectly aware what kind of risk she is, Dean, and I can handle her. I also think it can't hurt to cut her some slack."

Shaking his head, Dean sat on the other bed and started unlacing his boots. "You trust her so much? You can take first watch, then. I'm beat. Cass is out trying to see what he can shake loose, we still don't have a name, and we're far enough away to give us a little breathing room. I'm catching a couple of hours." He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his plaid over shirt. "Try to get the defenses up before my shift, Romeo," he tossed over his shoulder as he laid down on his stomach and arranged the pillow under his head.

Still pissed, Sam made a few obscene gestures at the back of his brother's head, then forced himself to take some deep, calming breaths. _I know he means well, but I'm not a little kid anymore_. He didn't really feel any better, but he had work to do. Turning his back on the beds, Sam began setting traps and readying their supplies. No matter how hard he tried to focus, however, his eyes and mind kept wandering back to the small, blanket-wrapped figure sleeping soundly under his watch.

* * *

"Dean? Dean!"

His eyes snapped open at the urgency he heard in his whispered name. He rolled onto his back and looked to his left; in the early morning light filtering through the thin curtains, he saw Karma, sitting up on her bed and looking worried.

"Where's Sam?" she asked, voice still hushed.

Dean swiftly jumped to his feet and scanned the room. There was no sign of anything wrong. While they'd slept, Sam had put up a Devil's Trap by the entrance, and salt along the windowsill. Some of their ammo and stash of holy water was sitting neatly on top of the long, battered dresser across the room. A couple of steps and a quick look confirmed the bathroom was vacant. Tension was visible in his broad shoulders as he moved towards the door. He flung it open and moved to step outside when he found his path blocked by a familiar form.

"Sam! What the hell?"

Sam entered the room, a tray of coffees balanced atop a box of doughnuts. "You were two steps from dead when I tried to wake you, so I did both watches. Figured since I was up, I'd grab breakfast."

"You couldn't leave a note? Text? Something?"

Setting down the food, Sam gestured at the open door. "I got sidetracked."

A shadow filled the doorway as Castiel stepped inside. "Hello, Dean." The angel's eyes quickly found Karma; he frowned. "Your trouble is still here, I see." She flipped off Cass from her seat on the bed as he crossed the room to stand as far from her as possible.

"Continuing with the maturity," Sam said with a laugh as he handed her a coffee. "How'd you sleep?"

Karma shook her hair away from her face and turned it toward him. "You tell me."

Sam looked closely, and he couldn't see any trace of the scar she'd had last night; her face was as perfect as before the attack. "Gives whole new meaning to the term 'beauty sleep' doesn't it?" he asked with a smile.

Her answering smile was warm as she raised the cup and took a deep drink. "Goddess that's good," she murmured appreciatively, then turned to look at Dean. "Could I have a couple of doughnuts? I'm starved."

Dean brought the box to her. As she leaned over to see inside, he caught a quick flick of her eyes between him and his brother. Before he could react, her leg shot out and her booted foot landed squarely in his groin. The doughnuts dropped to the floor as he bent double, swearing and clutching his fractured family jewels. A moment later, a grunt and a flash of movement next to him told him Sam had received the same treatment.

While the boys suffered, Karma rolled across the bed and made for the door, leaving the handcuffs dangling from the headboard. She snagged her backpack and started to run before slamming to a halt as though hitting an invisible wall. Looking up, she shrieked in frustration at the Devil's Trap blocking the door. With obvious effort, she pushed her hand forward until she had a hold of the doorknob, then pulled herself onward as she tried to push with her legs. She'd almost made it past the edge when she felt the hand close around her arm.

Castiel yanked roughly on Karma to free her from the Trap and flung her into the wall; she landed hard and slid to the floor, shaking her head to clear it. Her eyes widened as she registered the enraged angel standing over her, blade poised and trembling with the effort not to plunge it home.

"Do I have your permission now, Dean?"

Sam limped over to them and put a hand on his arm. "No, Cass, don't."

He turned his furious look on Sam. "I didn't ask you."

Clearly taken aback, he looked to his brother for support. Dean's expression was even less friendly than Castiel's. "Cass, stand down, man. If nothing else, I've got dibs on ganking her when it comes to that."

Karma glared at him; defiance ruled her face. "When is it going to get through your insanely thick skulls that I'm am not worth you two getting beaten into bloody pulps on my behalf?"

"It's too late. You leaving won't change any of that now," Cass growled, backing away and stowing his blade. "There was enough of the demon's blood left in the attacker from yesterday that I was able to follow his trail back to a house near the motel. The demon was gone, but, judging by what I found, he knows Sam and Dean are helping you. He'll be coming for all three of you now, and soon-his trail ran straight to a farm a couple of hours from here. He must suspect I'm involved, too-he put up angel wards so I couldn't get close."

"Then you have to let me go! I can draw him away-"

Sam interjected, "No, you need to stay more than ever now! We can't protect you if you bolt, Karma."

"Protect me?" she asked, her voice rising in irritation. "Oh, like you protected Jess? Or Madison? Adam? Lisa and what's-his-name...Ben? How about Kevin?" Karma's expression clearly indicated she was done pulling punches, literally or figuratively. Both Winchesters flinched as if those names were physical blows.

Dean decided he'd completely had it. "ENOUGH!" He stormed over to Karma and got right in her face. "Touch me, and I let Cass off the leash, got it?" Her expression was still mutinous, but she sat on her hands. "Right now, I would love nothing more than to repay you with interest for that shot to the balls, but apparently our asses are even more on the line thanks to you, so it'll have to wait. Since you obviously knew the guy from yesterday, that means this thing is picking up your cast-offs as it follows your trail, so the only way to save ourselves from going out like 'Roid Boy is for you to stay put so we can get to him first. You leave, and I pretty much guarantee things will still get very messy for me and Sam because, if he doesn't make us a pit stop on his way to you, he'll make it a point to see us after he's nailed you. We'd rather face him now than wonder when the hell he's going to pop up later. Now, you going to play nice?"

"Only if Sam stays with me. I don't trust you or Fluffy alone with me right now."

Keeping his eyes on Karma, Dean asked, "Sam?"

"I've got her, Dean."

He looked at her for another long moment, then stood. "Get the cuffs. This time, both hands, behind her back. Cass, help him out."

Karma's look was pure venom as the angel roughly pulled her to her feet and pushed her towards the bed, where Sam was unlocking the cuff from the headboard. She stood at the edge, her eyes down, clearly avoiding his gaze. He walked to her, pulling her arms behind her and clicking the cuffs closed. She didn't resist as Sam helped her sit on the bed, then motioned for her to lean forward. He gently checked that the bandanna from the night before was still protecting one wrist, then pulled her sleeve down to make a barrier for the other.

As he helped her lean back against the headboard, Karma looked up into his face, her expression unreadable. "Thank you," was all she said.

Sam was taken aback. "I handcuff you and put you in a bed, and all you have to say is 'Thank you'?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not really feeling it right now. Besides, I should probably avoid doing anything to stimulate your interest for the moment seeing as how I'm sure there's some lingering discomfort from my little nutcracker move."

"You're not wrong," he admitted, and sat down carefully on the bed across from her. They both watched as Dean loaded a bag with weapons, then crossed to his brother, making sure to block Sam's view of Karma.

"You sure you'll be alright?" Dean asked.

Scoffing, Sam replied, "Dean, I think I can handle a trussed up girl half my size."

Dean carefully searched his brother's face for more reassurance, then turned to Karma. "Anything happens to Sam-"

"Torture, agony, more of your stern lectures, blah, blah, blah. I get it."

Dean nodded, retrieved his loaded bag, and left the room without another word. Castiel spared one last nasty look back at Karma before following right behind.

Karma rolled her eyes, then looked at Sam. "So, anything on TV?"


	5. Chapter 4: SWAK

The Impala sped down the road, the driver heedless of the speed limit sign that rocked in his wake. Each mile that stretched between him and Karma cooled Dean's temper slightly. As he reached down yet again to adjust his jeans around his bruised manhood, he doubted there were enough miles on the planet to get him completely calmed down. _Is that really what you're pissed at?_ piped up that annoying little voice in his head, _Or is it that, even after she crushed your walnuts and dredged up The Winchesters' Greatest Hits, you still needed every last bit of anger you could muster not to pin her against the wall and-_

The angel riding shotgun saved him from that train of thought. "Dean, why are you doing this? Since we know where he is, we should have just handed her over in exchange for your safety."

Dean sighed. "I keep asking myself that same question, Cass, and I keep coming back to the same answer."

"Crowley."

"Yup. If nothing else, we can't let him get hands on Karma. Who knows what that sadistic bastard would do to-or with-her?"

Castiel looked at the road ahead, his face pensive. "Have you thought about what you'll do after this is settled?"

Shaking his head, Dean glanced at his passenger. "I don't know, man. I can't see keeping her hostage or taking her out. She's annoying as hell, but she's not evil."

"Not that we know of so far." Cass closed his eyes briefly in concentration. "We should be there in less than an hour."

"Good."

Sighing, the angel looked out of the window. "How do you think your brother is holding up?"

Dean thought about that for a moment before responding, "Depends."

"On?"

"How long until he lets her talk her way out of the cuffs."

* * *

"Daytime TV is absolute garbage," said Sam, picking up the remote.

"That's not necessarily a bad thing, you know."

"Really? I can feel my I.Q. dropping." He turned off the set and tossed the remote onto the nightstand.

"I can be nice to not-think for a while sometimes." Karma wiggled her way to the side of the bed and swung her legs over to help her sit more comfortably. He watched as she tried to stretch her arms, groaning.

"You alright?" Her arched eyebrow was all the reply he needed. "Can I get you anything?"

She didn't quite bat her eyelashes at him, but it was close. "I could really use a shower, Sammy."

Laughing, he threw his own legs over the side of his bed to face her. "Yeah, that's not happening."

"C'mon," she nearly whined, "I'm gross over here. It's been more than a day, I'm wearing dried blood, and my arms and shoulders are killing me from being bound like this. I promise I'll be good!"

"Why don't you ask my family jewels how they feel about your promises?"

Karma rolled her eyes. "Look, just let me out long enough to get undressed then cuff me in front-problem solved." Unbidden, a mental image of her naked flashed across Sam's mind. The look in her eyes became amused, clearly indicating she had "heard" him. "Not quite accurate, Sammy-even better, if you can imagine."

He barely managed to keep from doing that. "I have an idea," he said, took the keys out of his pocket, and helped Karma stand. After freeing one wrist, he pulled her arm forward and clicked the open cuff alongside the other. "Still trapped but full range of motion."

"It'll do for now, I guess." She started to walk toward her bag, but Sam's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Uh uh. I'll get anything you need out of there, and while you're at it, empty your pockets and lose the boots, belt, and earrings. My trust isn't infinite."

The look she gave him was calculatedly sheepish. "Figured out how I picked the lock earlier?" she asked as she complied with his request.

"Doesn't take a genius. You either used the prong on your belt or the hook on an earring. I'm not taking my chances with either." He put her bag on the bed and reached inside, feeling around for a change of clothes. His hand touched cotton, and he pulled out a zipper-fronted sweatshirt; another moment of searching found jeans. He was feeling in the same area for socks when he realized she had moved very close to him.

"Got your hands on my panties yet, Sammy?"

Sam blushed, then backed away from the bag. "Grab the rest of what you need and pull it out very slowly."

Karma shrugged, then looked into her bag and started rooting around. After a moment, she smiled and said, "It's my lucky day-found a matching set on the first try." He watched as she teasingly withdrew a handful of emerald green lace and held it up for his review. "Can't hide much of anything in there, now can I?"

All told, Sam was very proud of himself for not reacting to the incredibly skimpy undergarments that looked much too small for the job they'd be doing. He took them from her and felt along the seams, making sure there wasn't anything that would help her pick the lock. Handing them back, he motioned for her to head to the bathroom. "I want to be able to hear your voice the whole time, understand? Talk, sing, whatever-you stop, and I come in and end bath time. Got it?"

That damnable eyebrow and smirk again. "I've never wanted to shut up so much in my life…"

"I mean it."

She blew out a frustrated breath. "Fine." Gathering up her clothes, she went into the bathroom and closed the door. "Since singing's an option, you have any requests?"

"Nope-just keep the hits coming."

Her low, throaty laugh came back at him; the door between them didn't do anything to lessen its effect on Sam. "You asked for it, then." She cleared her throat as the water started running, then began to sing. "'I love myself, I want you to love me…'"

 _Walked right into that one_ , Sam thought with chagrin as he stared at the bathroom door. His thoughts ran unbidden to the other side and the very attractive, very naked woman there. He ran his hands through his hair, then wiped them over his face, willing himself to get it together before what little wits he started the day with abandoned him completely.

"'...I don't want anybody else. When I think about you-'"

 _C'mon, Dean..._

* * *

Dean and Cass slunk through the sparse, dried grass in front of the ramshackle farmhouse, blades at their sides. The sunset threw just enough light at the place for them to make out the angel warding drawn on the grimy windows and the peeling front door. Both men gingerly stepped onto the dilapidated porch, testing their weight on the rotting boards before moving forward. Luck was with them, and they made it to the entrance without incident, each putting their backs against the wall on opposite sides of the door. The angel nodded to his companion, then both risked a glance through the window nearest them; between the dirt and the fading light, neither could make out anything on the other side.

Turning back to the door, Dean peeled a strip of paint away in the middle of the Enochian glyph to break the ward there, but when he tried to turn the knob, the door didn't budge. Castiel motioned for Dean to move back while he stepped in front of the door, squared his shoulders, and raised his free hand. Both his hand and his eyes started to glow; seconds later, the door shattered.

"There goes our element of surprise," Dean muttered as he ran through the opening, sword raised defensively, Cass following close behind. Their heads swung back and forth as they moved down the hall, each being sure to keep an eye on opposite sides of the hallway. Their search was very short, however; a deep laugh and unhurried clapping coming from the back of the house led them to their target.

Dean saw him first, sitting in a worn armchair as though it were the Throne of Hell. A fire in the hearth and candles scattered around the room revealed an amused smile that curved the demon's thin lips but didn't reach his hazel eyes. Golden blonde hair fell in careless waves around his face, highlighting his chiseled jaw and dimpled chin. Drink balanced on his knee, he wore his white Oxford shirt and grey dress pants casually, as though the rolled-up sleeves and belted waist weren't meant to emphasize an athletic physique.

The demon took in both men, and his look clearly indicated he wasn't impressed. "You're the best Karma could come up with? A hunter with a pickled liver and one of Heaven's rejects?" he asked, his voice rich and deep.

"Funny," Dean responded, "I was thinking she had great taste until I saw you, Fabio."

Mild distaste colored his expression. "Don't tell me she slept with you too? Was it before or after me? I'm wondering how rife with disease this host is now if she let you near her unmentionables first."

"Yeah, well, it's no wonder she bolted from you the way she did. I'd be ashamed to have you on my dance card, pretty boy."

A line appearing between his brows was all the indication he gave that Dean's barb had stung. "It doesn't have to be this way. I'm not an idiot-"

"Could have fooled me."

Genuine anger seeped into the demon's glare. "What is it with you Winchesters? Oceans of mouth but barely a trickle of common sense. I'm well aware of your...special status with my master, Dean."

Cass tried to step into the room but couldn't cross the doorway. Both looking up, he and Dean saw a warding symbol carved into the door frame. "What does Crowley want with Dean?" the angel asked, wary, clearly trying to find a way inside to help his friend.

Raising his glass, the demon took a sip of the amber liquid inside before replying. "Not privy to the specifics, mind you, but there seems to be a great deal of pain, bodily fluids, and general payback in store when he gets his hands on you or your brother again. Seems he's still a bit miffed about Sam trying to kill him. It's just lucky for you that his mother is keeping him busy, and I'm keeping our mutual acquaintance from him. For now, anyway."

Dean stepped closer to Castiel, keeping the angel blade between himself and the demon. "Still planning on handing Karma over?"

"Of course-you can't fathom the goodwill and generous rewards Crowley would bestow on the demon who hands her over to him. The power within her, the souls she could add to Hell, and her considerable sexual prowess will keep him very happy and make me rich and powerful. Good-bye to those backwoods crossroads for my followers and I-hello, urban living. But enough with the Bond villain speeches." With a blink, his eyes went completely black. "Time to incapacitate you and go retrieve my prize. Maybe I'll bring all four of you back to Hell. I can't even imagine how excited His Majesty would be."

"Well," Dean said from near the door, "keep dreaming." He slashed upward and back with his sword, gouging the doorframe through the middle of the ward and freeing Castiel. The two immediately split and moved to flank their opponent, who had risen to his feet.

"Sorry to disappoint you, boys, but I don't have time for a showdown. Good luck finding my next puppet before I find Karma." He quickly opened his mouth to abandon the host, but Castiel was faster; he slashed at his broad chest and missed, but Castiel succeeded in distracting the demon. Dean rushed forward, thrusting his angel blade at the demon's torso. He just barely wriggled out of the way, but not before he flicked a hand at Dean. An unseen bolt of power disarmed Dean as it sent him flying across the room to slam into a wall.

Picking up the weapon, the demon rounded on Cass, whipping the tip of the sword toward the angel's face. Castiel flung his head backwards, narrowly, gracefully avoiding the demon's attack while bringing his own blade up to parry the return swing. The demon continued to slash furiously at Castiel, who fought back with matched skill; their swords were blurs as they slashed, stabbed, and side-stepped their way around the room.

Cass saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and his attention flickered towards Dean. His opponent took advantage of the angel's momentary distraction and slipped past Castiel's guard, blade slicing across the back of his swordhand. Cursing, Cass tried to regain his equal footing, but dripping blood compromised his grip and the angel blade fell. The demon cackled in triumph as he backed Castiel against the wall and thrust the sword through his shoulder, pinning him like a bug.

"That should hold you long enough to gift-wrap you and the rest for Crowley," the demon gloated, twisting the blade and anchoring it further into the wooden stud behind the crumbling plaster. Castiel gritted his teeth and struggled not to call out, ocean blue eyes glaring defiantly into the demon's pitch black.

"I don't do bows." The demon only had a second to register Dean's voice behind him before the point of Castiel's dropped sword erupted through his chest. The angel watched with grim satisfaction as the light flashed and died in the demon's eyes. The body crumpled as Dean removed the blade, but he barely noticed the corpse as he stepped over it to free his friend. "You alright, Cass?"

"There's the small matter of the blade in my shoulder, Dean."

Rolling his eyes, he braced one hand on Cass's punctured shoulder and quickly removed the sword with the other. The angel grunted in pain, but he nodded his thanks to Dean, pressing his hand over the hole in his shoulder. "You good, or are you going to bleed all over the car?"

It was Cass's turn to roll his eyes. "I'll need your help bandaging my shoulder, but your car should be fine."

"You got it, buddy," Dean responded, clapping Castiel on the back inches from the fresh wound. He put up his hands in apology when Cass glared at him, then made sure he had both their blades before helping the angel out of the house, leaving behind the dead demon and, hopefully, Karma's problems.

* * *

Sam was still sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees and head in his hands, when the bathroom door finally opened. He sat up straight as he watched a fully dressed but barefoot Karma saunter out, carrying her dirty stuff. _That's much better than I expected_ , Sam thought, until she walked past him and casually tossed the handcuffs to him. He was so shocked that they bounced off of his chest and landed on the floor. "But how…?"

She didn't even look up from her bag as she put her old clothes away. "Shower curtain hooks." She turned and looked at Sam, her face thoughtful. She appeared to make a decision, then Karma sat down next to him on the bed. "While I was in the shower, I did some thinking-"

"You mean you had time to focus while regaling me with your very inappropriate repertoire?"

Karma smiled briefly, but her face quickly reverted to serious as she looked away from him. "Let me get this out, ok?" He nodded, and she continued, still staring at her hands. "I want to apologize. Not for the kick-you and your brother were being huge dicks about the handcuffs thing, so I'm not sorry about that. I'm sorry for what I said, you know, about you guys failing people. That was just plain cruel and I didn't really mean it."

That caught Sam off-guard. He wasn't sure what he'd expected from her, but it definitely wasn't a sincere and heartfelt apology. "You're actually sorry?"

Slowly nodding, she looked towards him, but Karma still wasn't meeting his gaze. "I am, really. You and Dean do the best you can, but you're only two people and no one's perfect. And I know how much it hurts you both that you can't save everyone you love."

Sam found himself smiling as he put a finger under Karma's chin and lifted her head so he could look her in the eyes. "That cost you a lot, didn't it?"

She smiled. "You have no idea." She pulled away from him slightly, then stood up and faced him. "I'm already getting a crick in my neck looking up at you like that, Sasquatch."

He laughed. "Not my fault you're so short."

"I prefer the term 'fun-sized' if you please," she shot back as she stepped closer to him. Karma placed a gentle hand on his cheek and looked him directly in the eyes. "I really do appreciate everything you guys have done for me, especially you."

"Me? What did I do that's so special?"

Taking a step closer, Karma was now standing between his knees, their eyes still locked. "There's a kindness in you, Sam. Maybe you've forgotten about it, or it hasn't gotten much chance to shine lately, but it's unmistakable. As mad as you got, you still tried to treat me gently, and I was never afraid that you were really going to hurt me." At this, her gaze and hand fell; her voice dropped to a whisper. "Unlike Dean."

Care and concern softened Sam's face and filled his voice. "Dean never would have hurt you, Karma. You have to know that."

Karma shook her head, her eyes on her feet. "You couldn't hear what he was thinking, Sam. He was practically screaming about how he wanted to…" She shivered slightly, unable to continue the thought.

Sam put his hands on her upper arms in reassurance. "Look, I won't deny he was probably thinking those things, but he never would have actually...I mean, he's out there, right now, with Cass, tracking down that demon for you, so that you can be safe."

"If you say so, Sammy," she agreed quietly, but the quivering he felt under his hands clearly showed that she wasn't convinced. He gently pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. As she laid her head against his shoulder, he could feel the trembling start to ease. "Thank you" was so faint he barely caught it.

"Sure thing."

After a moment, she pulled away from him just far enough to see his face, a shy smile on hers that softened her deep blue eyes. Once again, her hand softly cupped his cheek as she looked at him. "I haven't been this open or vulnerable with someone in forever. I don't know what it is, but you make me feel so safe, Sam." As her gaze held his, both of their breathing changed and he detected a slight quake starting again in her body where it was still so very close to his. She held his face still as, slowly and tentatively, she pressed her lips to his. They were impossibly soft and felt so right. Sam tightened his arms around Karma, pulling her closer and deepening their kiss. He felt her trembling intensify as he slid one hand down her back, pressing her completely against his body. Breaking their kiss, Sam trailed his lips down her neck and shivered himself as he heard her low moan.

"This is such a bad idea, Sammy," Karma murmured as she tangled her fingers in his hair, using her grip to pull his head back.

"Horrible idea," he agreed as her mouth worked its way up his neck. "We should really stop," he heard himself say, although his hands clearly had other plans as they made their way underneath her top.

"You first," she responded before engaging him in another fiery kiss that shattered any last vestiges of resistance Sam might have clung to. Karma climbed onto his lap while she expertly unfastened his belt and worked on freeing his shirt from his pants. Sam had already made short work of her bra clasp, so he set to helping her. They broke apart briefly as they both yanked his shirt over his head, then Sam swiftly unzipped her sweatshirt and pushed it down and off of her arms. He took a moment to appreciate the view as she finished removing her bra and flung it on the rapidly growing pile of jettisoned garments. Karma's hands were warm and urgent where they moved over his shoulders and around his neck, pulling him closer. He slid his hands up her back, the bare skin incredibly smooth under his calloused fingers. Sam tightened his grip on her, the only warning Karma received before he rolled them both over, pressing her into the mattress beneath his bulk as his hands and mouth began to roam.

Their remaining clothing disappeared quickly, and they became so lost in each other that neither registered the sound of Sam's phone vibrating in the pocket of his discarded jeans.

* * *

"Dammit, Sammy!" Dean yelled as his brother's voicemail picked up again. He waited for the beep, then growled, "I don't know why you're not picking up, but we're on our way back. The douchebag demon is dead, but don't let Karma go anywhere yet. We don't know for sure if anyone else is going to be coming for her right now. Call me back or I'll kick both your asses!" He angrily disconnected the call and threw the phone onto the Impala's cream-colored dashboard. Daring a quick glance out of the corner of his eye at Castiel, Dean asked, "Can you pop yourself over to the motel and check on them? Something's definitely up if he's still not answering."

Castiel's jaw was tight with pain and worry. "I can't, Dean. I need to heal first. I'm sorry."

Dean pressed the gas pedal further towards the floor, and the Chevy's engine roared in response to the increased speed. "Then hold on tight. We're going to bust ass back there."

"Do you think she really did something to Sam?"

Staring straight ahead at the road back to his brother, Dean's voice was grim. "I don't know, but if she did...I've got dibs."

* * *

Sam slept deeply, sprawled across the bed as someone only his height could, bare limbs tangled in the bedclothes. Karma stood next to the bed, completely dressed, and watched him as she listened to the messages Dean had left on his phone, courtesy of one of the passcodes she'd obtained when she'd read Sam. Each successive message grew more frustrated, and when she heard the instructions to hold her, it steeled her resolve.

Karma turned off the phone and put it on the nightstand, using it to weigh down the note she had written. Leaning over, she tenderly brushed a few silky ochre strands of hair out of Sam's face. She let her fingers linger for a moment before she straightened, slung her bag over her shoulder, pushed her way through the Devil's Trap, and left Sam and the room behind. A crack of lightning crossed the cloudless sky, and she was suddenly gone.

* * *

The door burst open with a sound like a shotgun blast, instantly rousing Sam from his sleep; he leapt to his feet.

One look at the state of the sheets and his brother's lack of clothes and Dean was pretty sure he knew why Sam hadn't been answering his calls. "Son of a bitch! Tell me you didn't!"

"Didn't what?" Sam asked, his drowsiness not completely dissipated. "Where's Karma?"

Dean's eyes widened, and he barely managed to keep from throttling Sam. "You tell me-you were supposed to be watching her, Sammy. Looks like you couldn't even keep track of your clothes!"

Mind finally cleared, Sam looked down at his body, then quickly sat down and pulled a sheet around himself. "Maybe she went out to get something to eat," he managed weakly, clearly grasping at straws.

Castiel's stern look skewered him from across the room. "With her stuff, Sam?"

Sam ran his hands through his hair in frustration and looked away from his brother and friend. His gaze fell on the nightstand, and he spotted a folded piece of paper tucked under his phone. Sliding it out, he saw a lipstick print on the front, and showed it to Dean and Cass.

"Karma."

A few swift strides was all Dean needed to cross to his brother and snatch the note. Unfolding it, Dean read aloud:

 _Dear boys (oh, and Featherhead)-_

 _Sorry I had to resort to such drastic measures, but this was the only way I could think of to get away and keep you from coming after me. I signed up for getting rid of the demon, but I am not having you around if any of his flunkies found out about me and come to collect. It's not right, and I hope you finally realize I'm clearly more trouble than I'm worth. Once I get word that all's good, I'll find a way to let you know._

 _Don't be too hard on Sammy, Dean-you of all people know what he was up against once I made up my mind._

 _Be as safe as you can, boys._

 _Love,_

 _Karma_

 _P.S.-Sammy, if Dean tries to give you crap, make sure and tell him I said_

He suddenly stopped reading and stared in disbelief at the page. "There's no way."

Sam was genuinely confused. "What, Dean?" he asked, reaching for the note. Dean tried to pull it away, but Sam was faster. He quickly scanned to the bottom of the page and finished reading her post-script:

 _P.S.-Sammy, if Dean tries to give you crap, make sure and tell him I said you're definitely better in bed than he is._

Looking at his brother, Sam saw denial fill Dean's green eyes as he shook his head vigorously. "No way, Sammy. She's just trying to make you feel better and distract me from kicking your ass!"

Taking in his brother's anger and Castiel's look of confusion, Sam laughed out loud. "I don't know, Dean. There's plenty of other things she could have said that would have worked better if she was just trying to help me out. Maybe you just can't handle-"

"Finish that sentence, and so help me, Sammy, I will shave your head in your sleep." Dean snatched the note from Sam's hands, balled it up viciously, and threw it across the room as he stormed out the door.

"Where are you going?" Castiel called after him.

Dean popped his head back in the doorway briefly. "To find a cheeseburger, some beer, and a bleached-blonde with questionable morals. You coming?" Cass nodded his agreement. Sam started to get up from the bed, but Dean turned quickly to him, finger pointed at him venomously. "You are definitely not invited!"

Sam's laughter followed Dean into the car, and he swore he could still hear it as he squealed out of the parking lot.


	6. Epilogue: Elkhart, IN

A few weeks later

Elkhart, IN

"Nothing like an old-fashioned corpse barbeque," Dean quipped as he, Sam, and Castiel stepped around gravestones, making their way back to the car.

"Dibs on first shower," Sam said as he adjusted the shovels to sit more comfortably on his muscular shoulder. "That body was a little juicier than usual."

"Deal, but only if we can stop for dinner on the way-I'm starving," Dean said to no one's surprise.

The trio walked on in companionable silence, and the Impala came slowly into view. As they came closer, Cass squinted toward the car. "What's that on the windshield?"

Dean's head swiveled immediately to the car, all of his senses on high alert. He could just make out smears of red on the glass, and started running. He made it to the car before the others, and starting cursing loudly.

As he got closer, Sam could see it a little more clearly. "Is that blood?"

Dean's scowl was ferocious. "Worse-lipstick."

Understanding lit up their faces. "Karma," all three said in unison as they looked at the message:

 _All's good now. Just a little token of my appreciation-hope they fit!_

"Token?" Cass asked, confused. They all looked more closely and spotted three small gift bags sitting on the front seat-green in the driver's seat, blue in the middle, and brown in the passenger seat.

Sam scoffed. "Just like Karma to color-code them for us." When the angel turned a puzzled look his way, Sam expanded, "Our eyes, Cass."

Opening the doors, Dean grabbed his bag and Cass's while Sam retrieved his own.

"What do you think she means by 'hope they fit,' Dean?"

"Damned if I know…" His voice trailed off as he pulled out what appeared to be some random fabric and string. Once he got it sorted out, however, it revealed itself to be a very skimpy pair of men's underwear, the bulk of which was a squirrel with his back to the viewer, and inside his tail clearly meant to hold-

 _Oh. Hell. No._

"Uh, Dean? I think she likes Crowley's nicknames for us."

Dean looked over and saw his brother holding up a similar contraption, this one with moose's antlers stretching out like wings and the moose's nose serving as the- _Still Hell no._

Both Winchesters looked at Cass, who was sorting out his own undergarment, which was looking more and more like a tropical bird whose beak served a very special purpose.

In nearly identical movements, Sam and Dean tossed bags and gifts into the trunk of the car along with their gravedigging gear, then took their seats. Castiel got into backseat, still trying to untangle the strings. With a frustrated sigh, Dean turned the key and flicked on the windshield wipers, clearing off Karma's note as he pulled out onto the road. He tried to clear her off his mind as quickly and easily, but that wasn't going to happen.

If he'd asked, he would have found that Sam was trying to do the same, and also failing miserably.


End file.
